


Unexpected

by TheKnightsJedi



Series: Unexpected [1]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Imprinting, Outdoor Sex, Sex, Shower Sex, now featuring a baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-09-25 12:45:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 84,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9821072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKnightsJedi/pseuds/TheKnightsJedi
Summary: When she said she wished she could imprint on someone, anyone, she didn't think Fate would take her literally.





	1. Chapter 1

“There is no danger here. We will not fight today,” Leech One said to the vampires gathered behind him. 

Now that the threat was passed, I examined the crowd on the other side. A vampire, the one who spoke to Edward during their little meeting in the middle of the field—‘Interesting company you keep,’ he’d said—looked up just then, meeting my eyes. Everything that mattered to me, my brother, my mother, my tormenting love for Sam, my very self, all slipped away in an instant, like insignificant strings being sliced away, as a million steel cables bound me to him and I was infused with warmth. 

But in the next instant, I realized exactly what had happened. I’d imprinted on a vampire! 

With every bit of willpower I had, I pushed the thoughts down, blocking them out, hoping no one realized what had just happened to me. Leech One and Carlisle were talking about... something, but I couldn’t focus. Suddenly, the other side of the field was empty.

“Seriously, people. They’re not coming back. Everybody can relax now!” Alice said, her voice cheerful.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, I ran. I had to get away. I couldn’t- I couldn’t- It was all too much. I had to get away.

_Leah? _It was Jake. _What’s going on? _____

_I need to be alone. Please. Seth, tell Mom I’ll be home later. _I could feel their confusion, but I forced them away, unwilling to let them know what happened just now.__

_Come back soon. ___

_I will. I just need to be by myself for a while. _Something told me Jake knew, maybe not what exactly, but he knew something had happened to me.__

Finally, I reached my destination, a clearing well outside wolf territory, and I stopped. I came here sometimes when being a spiteful harpy became too much. Pulling the wolf inside, I allowed myself to phase back, my human form stumbling under the weight of what I faced.

Gasping for breath, I pressed my forehead to the snowy ground. How could this happen? When I said that I wished I could imprint on anyone, I didn’t think the universe would bind me to my mortal enemy. I must have done something to piss off that bitch, fate, otherwise, how did I end up with such a tragic love life. My first love imprinted on my cousin, now my imprint probably wanted to kill me simply for existing. Why couldn’t I just die?

I wrapped my arms around my chest, trying to keep myself together. 

Could nothing go right? Apparently not. First I lost Sam to the wolf, then to Emily. Then, I lost myself to the wolf, and finally to the vampire across the field. The supernatural seemed hellbent on making my life as horrible as it could and there was nothing I could do about it. Not for the first time could I see how truly powerless I was. For all my physical strength, I was nothing against the magic of the world I’d been thrown into. Why couldn’t life truly be as I’d thought it was before magic destroyed everything?

I writhed internally with the confusion tearing at my soul. Vampires were the enemy, and yet, that bitch fate saw fit to give me one as a soulmate. And not the ‘humans are friends, not food’ variety, but the ‘humans are food, why should I care about their feelings?’ kind. Why couldn’t I ever catch a break? 

Even as the thought crossed my mind, I felt guilty for thinking about my imprint so negatively. 

The soft tread of a vampire caught my attention and I turned towards the sound. I shifted in a crouch, just in case I needed to go wolf again, and the vampire I’d imprinted on stepped out of the trees. My heart twisted as I inhaled his scent, exotic spices covered in snow, so distinct from the wintry woods around us. Unlike other vampires, there was no urge to attack, no burn in my nose. The chill he carried with him was comforting, rather than enraging. 

“This is not what I was expecting.” He walked in a slow, wide circle around me before stopping in front of me. His voice was smooth, poisoned soaked velvet, and I wanted him to never stop talking. “What did you do to me?”

“I don’t understand,” I denied. Slowly, I stood up and his ruby eyes raked my form, an appreciative expression on his face.

“In the clearing, you looked at me and I felt my mind change, something came undone.” In the blink of an eye, he was less than a foot from me. “What was it?”

I shook my head, unable to respond. Could he be feeling the imprint already? That was unheard of. But then, Nessie seemed to feel drawn to Jake before she was even born. So maybe it wasn’t quite so strange that a full-fledged vampire might have a similar reaction. 

“No matter.” His lips pulled into a smile as he brushed a lock of hair out my face. “I never thought today would end with me finding a very beautiful, very naked woman in the forest, looking for all the world like a nymph.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?” I challenged.

“What do you want me to do about it?” He retorted. 

Without considering the possible dangers of what I was doing, I stepped closer so that I could feel the fibers of his clothing against my overly sensitive skin and I inhaled sharply. Chewing on my lower lip, I looked at him from under my lashes. I wanted to kiss him, so badly and I tilted my head up towards him.

Cupping my cheek, he murmured, “Names first, sweetheart. I’m Demetri.”

“Leah.” 

“Leah, meaning weary in Hebrew.” He trailed his gloved hand down my arm, keeping his eyes on mine, as if daring me to object to his touch. The only thing I found annoying about it was that I wanted to feel his skin against mine. “Are you weary, lovely Leah? Is that why you wanted to meet me? To forget your troubles for a while?” His gaze settled on my mouth and he lowered his head. “To lose yourself to pleasure, even if it’s in the arms of the enemy?”

“Stop talking,” I muttered as I pressed myself even closer to him. As much as I wanted to hear his voice, speaking meant that he wasn’t kissing me.

The first brush of his lips against mine may as well have been an electrical shock. I whimpered softly and dug my fingers into his hair as he made a strangled sound, deep in the back of his throat. His arm came around me anchoring me to his solid form, lifting me almost completely off the ground. I slid one leg up his thigh, so hard beneath his clothes, as if to keep him where he was, though I knew that in human form, I had no real hope against his iron strength.

He wrapped his large hand around the back of my neck, as he attacked my lips. Gripping the lapel of his cloak, I tugged him down, so I did not have to stand on my tiptoes. He was a vampire, it wouldn’t cause him any discomfort to bend down just a little, and he complied as he deepened the kiss.

A part of my mind freaked at the thought of his venom coated teeth so close to my skin, but I couldn’t focus on that. All I wanted to think about was how it felt to have his tongue exploring my mouth so thoroughly. Every sensation was so much stronger than it had been when I was human. I was aware of so much more and it amazed me just how... numb I had been to this before. 

Fire and ice should never mix, at least that’s what they said, one would destroy the other. But they had never been in my place. Need, like I’d never known before flooded my body and I shifted, aching for more contact. I sucked his lower lip into my mouth, dragging my teeth against his stone skin. 

He groaned and then, set me down. I whined pitifully at the lost of contact, but he grinned and pressed a quick kiss to my lips as, with nimble fingers, he removed his clothes so that he was equally naked. I stared for a moment, unable to believe how perfect he was. Those sculptures in my history books had nothing on him. Hesitantly, I reached out and placed my hand on his abdomen, tracing my fingertip along the lines of his muscles. He hissed softly and pulled me back to him. This time, I kept my eyes half open, wanting to watch his lips moving against mine as much as possible. Gliding his hands down my legs, he hooked them around his waist, before going to his knees.

One icy hand skimmed up my side to my breasts, and he leaned back just a little to watch, almost mesmerized by what he was seeing, as he weighed one of them, then squeezed them both together. His gaze flickered back to mine. 

“You’re so soft,” he whispered as he kneaded the flesh, “so warm. There’s fire in your blood, beckoning me closer, enticing me to combust.”

“I thought I told you to stop talking,” I growled as I pulled his mouth back to mine. 

He chuckled against my lips, as his fingers wound back into my hair. Brushing his lips against the corner of my mouth, he trailed kisses, so soft they may as well have been a butterfly’s wing, along my cheek, and down my neck. Almost instinctively, I allowed my head to fall back, giving him better access to my body.

Some small part of me was acutely aware of the danger I was in, baring myself so to a blood drinker, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. He was my imprint and he was here, with me.

He nibbled gently along my jaw, as he tilted my head at just the right angle. Pulling his lips away, he trailed his nose along the column of my exposed throat.

“Leah,” he whispered, his breath caressing my skin.

A moan slid between my lips as his attentions focused lower, down my chest to my breasts. I knew I should really be afraid when he suckled one of my nipples into his mouth, but all I could feel was pleasure. Pulling myself closer, I pressed my cheek against his hair and my nails raked uselessly against the marble of his back as I wriggled against him, seeking friction, craving it beyond anything I had ever known before. Warmth pooled low in my belly and it required immediate attention. 

“Please.” I didn’t care how desperate I sounded, the need was making it difficult for me to think of anything else. 

An instant later, I found myself on my back with the vampire looming over me, his eyes darkening. 

“Something tells me that I’ve found the most unique woman in the world, and all I want is to savor this, but I find myself unable to wait.”

“Then don’t.” I traced my knuckles against his cheek, brushing his hair out of his face as I wrapped my legs more tightly around his waist, trying to draw him closer to my body.  
Bracing himself on one hand, he placed his other hand on my thigh as he snapped his hips forward, so hard that it knocked my breath out of me for a moment and I inhaled sharply. He withdrew almost completely and thrust again.

“Oh, god,” I moaned and my eyes rolled back into my head. He was made for me and I for him. We fit together so perfectly, I wondered how I could have ever believed otherwise.

“My name,” he snarled. “Say it.” Right as he spoke, he brushed against a spot inside me that had my back arching.

“Demetri.”

“Again.” The hand on my thigh moved between my legs, just above where he was inside me.

Unable to resist his command, I screamed, “Demetri!”

The part of me that could still think around what he was doing to me, a very small part and shrinking with every second, was glad that I’d stopped at such a remote location, because there was no one around to hear my cries. 

“Stop thinking,” he said, mocking my earlier demands that he stop talking.

“Make me.”

“With pleasure.” And he moved his mouth back to mine. 

All thought left my mind when he caught one of my legs, draping it over his elbow so that he could penetrate even deeper into me. My back bowed as shudders began wracking my entire frame. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t remember what it was, or even how to speak, so I settled for moaning. The coil tightening in my belly snapped, and then, I was lost to the pleasure that washed over me and refused to let me go, like an undertow. Only this was one current that I never wanted to end.

When I finally came back to myself, Demetri was withdrawing from my body and pressing soft kisses to my neck.

He chuckled suddenly.

“What?” I asked, startled by his reaction.  
“Just when I thought I’d experienced all there was that was worth exploring, I find you.” He rolled onto his back, pulling me so that I was draped across him. “While you’re recovering for round two, perhaps you could tell me a little about yourself.”

“Like what?”

“We could start with the easy things, like how old are you?”

“Twenty. But I’ve been a wolf since March and we age really fast until we’re physically twenty-five, then we remain twenty-five until we stop phasing and become human again. So I don’t know exactly.”

“You’re immortal?” He lifted his head to look at me.

“As long as I’m a wolf.”

How do you become human again?”

“Our phasing triggered by very strong emotions. If we can keep our tempers in check, our bodies resume their normal cycle.” I flinched away from the word ‘cycle’ because it made me think of what I might never have, especially now that I had a vampire imprint. 

“You don’t like being a wolf.”

“I’m the first and only female to ever phase and a lot of the bad shit to happen to me over the last three years was because of the wolf. Maybe it’s not so bad after all though. I’m just so used to hating it.”

“Hmm. When you live forever, you have to create something to live for.” He leaned back, brows furrowed.

He tugged me so that I was lying face to face with him and he hooked my hair behind my ear. “It would be a pity if you gave up this life. Vampires are a dime a dozen, but someone as rare as you is a prize indeed.” He kissed me softly, but the intent was clear. 

I sat up, before rising up on my knees. He was more than ready and I slid down onto him, sheathing him fully inside me. “This time, I’m in charge,” I said as I tossed my hair back.

“Oh, Leah,” he moaned as he gripped my thighs. “What a sight you are.”

I set a slow rhythm, enjoying the feel of him and the way his lips trembled as he fought back the urge to have his way.

“I doubt any being mortal or otherwise has ever witnessed anything so lovely. Your skin in contrast with mine and with the snow, I swear I did not know perfection until now.”

“You’re talking a lot.”

“Speaking distracts me from wanting to take control.” The sunlight broke through the clouds, leaving him glittering beneath me and I froze for a moment, distracted by the sight. I reached out, allowing the light playing off of his skin to touch my fingers.

“Leah,” he groaned, shifting beneath me, drawing my attention back to our joined bodies.

I began moving again, resuming the pace I had set before, though slightly harder.

He grinned and his hands started to roam my body. “Kiss me?”

I leaned forward as he sat up and he cradled my face in one hand and our lips met. As that coil in my belly tightened, our kisses became sloppier, until I threw my head back, forgetting my teasing, as I rode him in earnest.

“I can feel you, how close you are,” he murmured, his own voice strained. He sat up and trailed his lips over my neck as growls rumbled in his chest. 

The building wave crested and I slumped against him, letting it carry me away. 

As I caught my breath, Demetri linked our fingers together, examining them. I rolled onto my side so I could get a better look at his face. He seemed to be thinking very deeply about something. Reaching up, I smoothed the furrows between his brows. 

“What is it?” I asked. 

“I was just wondering if I would have to worry about being a father shortly.” 

I sat up and wrapped my arms around myself, curling in as deep as I could. Of course he would wonder that. What man wouldn’t think something like that after spending however long thinking they would never be able to have children. And I couldn’t give him one. Already I was failing my imprint. 

“Leah?” I felt his hands on my shoulders. “What did I say?”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t what?”

“Have children. It’s why I became a wolf. Since I’m infertile, the magic decided to do something with all that wolf blood in my veins and turned me into the goddamn girly wolf!” I moved to stand up, but he dragged me back down, pressing my back against his chest.

He didn’t say anything, just held me close, running his hand over my hair. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to react like that. It’s just a sore subject for me.”

“I can understand.” Pressing his lips to my shoulder, he whispered, “I can think of far pleasanter things we can have instead of focusing on the things we can’t.”

I turned around in his arms and grinned. “Really? Do tell.”


	2. Chapter 2

I stretched and blinked sharply. What was I doing outside, naked? And why was I so happy about it? I frowned, trying to remember.

“Good morning, sleepy,” a smooth male voice spoke from near my ear.

I turned my head towards the voice, coming face to face with the Michelangelo sculpture that was my imprint and then it all came flooding back. Demetri. 

We had spent the rest of the day and well into the night making love before exhaustion claimed me. And now, here I was, waking up in his arms. I could definitely get used to this.

“I have to be going, though it felt abominably rude to leave while you slept.”

Scorching pain shot through me and it took everything I had to keep from screaming. “You’re leaving now.” Good. My voice sounded neutral, at least to me.

“Yes.” He stood and began pulling his clothes back on. “I’d imagine my coven is probably wondering where I am already. Best not have them find us like this.”

Suddenly my own nakedness left me feeling much too vulnerable so I yanked my own clothes on and wrapped my arms around my chest. I wanted to beg him to stay, to not leave me alone, but I managed to keep my mouth shut.

As he fastened his cloak back around his shoulders, he looked at me for a long moment. He reached up and removed the chain hanging around his neck. Walking over to me, he slid it over my head. “So you don’t forget me,” he murmured as his knuckles brushed against my cheek. His gaze dropped to my mouth and he kissed me softly. Pressing his forehead to mine, he whispered, “Farewell, lovely Leah.”

I kept my eyes closed, unwilling to watch him leave. 

An imprint was supposed to heal me, not give me an even greater heartbreak. I thought I knew pain, but this was beyond anything I had ever experienced. As his footsteps faded away, my soul rent in two and I fell to my knees. This was what I was afraid of. I knew this was going to happen. Why did I even hope for any other outcome? I wasn’t good enough. All he needed from me was a few hours worth of pleasure and now he was done. 

I wasn’t wanted. No one wanted me, not Sam, not the wolf packs, though Jake made an effort, and now my imprint. What did I do to make people not want me? Sure, I brought the wolf pack’s acrimony on myself. However, I hadn’t wanted them either, so there was no love lost there. But my imprint? The one who was made for me and me for him? The center of my universe, my reason for existing felt nothing. I was nothing to him, only a body to slake his lust with for a night.

The tears fell in earnest and I buried my face against my legs in an effort to silence my sobs. I wouldn’t let him hear just how much his leaving hurt me. 

 

It could have been minutes, it could have been hours later when a wolf howl drew me out of my stupor. Seth. There was a panicked edge to it so I stripped with shaky hands and phased.

_Leah!!! _Seth’s relief was palpable. _You’re okay! _He howled again, this time to signal the others that I’d been found.____

_____Why wouldn’t I be? _My voice sounded detached, even to my own ears.__ _ _ _ _

_______One of the Italian leeches took off by himself last night. _Thankfully Seth was too distracted to notice that there was anything off about me. _We tried to track him, but we couldn’t get very far. He was tricky and took to the trees when he realized he was being followed. Jake and Sam both felt it was unwise to leave the rez unprotected. Then, a few hours ago, we picked up on his trail again. Jake swore he carried a trace of your scent, but I think Sam told him he was crazy. ______ _ _ _ _ _

__________I didn’t say anything as I rocketed through the trees. I needed to get home and I didn’t want to think, didn’t want to share this with anyone, especially not my little brother._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________What’s wrong? ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________Nothing. I’m just tired. _Somehow I managed to keep my thoughts blank.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________I could feel Seth’s curiosity, but thankfully, he didn’t press me for answers. Jake phased in._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________Leah? _Jake recognized that something happened to me, that there were fresh, deeper wounds scouring my heart. He pressed just a little deeper, then withdrew when he felt the new pain.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________As soon as I was within walking distance, I phased, unwilling to share my head space any longer than I had to. I was nearing my breaking point and I didn’t want them to know. They didn’t need to see that my imprint was a vampire and that after one night with me, he’d left._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Sue was waiting for me when I walked through the door, her face creased with worry._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Where were you all night? Jake said you took off.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Nowhere important,” I mumbled. Hurray for rapid healing because the hickeys Demetri left throughout the night faded long before I woke up this morning. Now any evidence a human might pick up on was long gone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“With that strange vampire in the woods so close to home running around by yourself is dangerous!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I was perfectly safe.” Hearing my mother mention Demetri, even as indirectly as she had, sent a fresh hot blade into my heart and I kept my head down in an effort to hide my pain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Leah?” Now that her panic had passed in light of my safe return, Sue finally picked up that I was in a bad way. “Honey, what happened?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I’m gonna take a shower.” I had to make an escape. I couldn’t have Seth or one of the other wolves finding me smelling like sex and the vampire they’d been chasing. Seth might be a little leech lover, but even he would draw the line at his sister rolling around with a leech who’d come to kill our Alpha’s imprint._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________As I walked down the hall to my bedroom, a thought crossed my mind. Maybe it was a good thing I’d gone through what I did with Sam, because now heartbroken was a normal state and this new wound would not be so noticeable, at least to those who didn’t know me as well as they thought they did._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Grabbing the first set of clothes I could get my hands on, I went to the bathroom. As I closed the door behind me, I made the mistake of looking into the mirror. The bitterness and anger that so often marred my face was gone, replaced by emptiness. There was no expression. I looked as hollow as I felt._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________I turned the water on as hot as it would go, though it wasn’t as hot to me as it used to be. The chill that had been so comforting the night before now felt like poison, sapping my strength, and I wondered if I might ever be warm again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Another sob broke from my lips and I slammed my hand over my mouth. No one could know what happened. I couldn’t bear their pity or their self-righteous glances as they talked behind their hands that I got what I deserved for behaving the way I had when my life had been ripped from my grasp the first time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________As soon as all traces of vampire were gone from my skin, I climbed out of the shower and dressed quickly. Now to remove the last of the evidence of my torrid night. I gathered up my dirty clothes and exited the bathroom._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Dumping my clothes into the machine, I added a bunch of Seth’s and some more of mine before starting it up. Now, all traces of my imprint would be so muddled no one would know for sure who is was or what had happened._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________When Sue saw me start a load of laundry, her brows furrowed. I rarely did laundry unless I had nothing clean to wear._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I’ve got some spaghetti I can reheat for you,” she said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I’m fine.” I closed the lid to the machine. Inhaling, I searched for any trace of vampire and came up with nothing. “I’m gonna go to bed.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Without another word, I walked past her and went to my room. Closing the door behind me, I collapsed on my bed and gave into the pain once more, allowing the tears to fall in earnest. I wrapped my arms around my pillow and pulled my knees to my chest, as if by making myself smaller, I could lessen the pain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________I wanted to claw my heart from my chest, just to end my suffering. But I couldn’t move. I didn’t know if my imprint wanted me dead or not so I couldn’t take myself completely out of his life until I knew one way or the other._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Sam walking away from me? That was nothing, a perfect day in La Push. That was a human heartbreak, which was nothing in the grand scheme of things because humans could fall in and out of love so many times over the course of their lives._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Finding out Sam and Emily were together? I would endure their betrayal a thousand times, if it meant that this torture would end, because that had nothing on this agony searing through me. Because they didn’t mean so much to me anymore._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Turning into a wolf and finding out that I had to share my thoughts with the boy who’d broken my heart and not just him, but all his little followers too? That was a night in with my best friends. I would take that over and over again with a smile on my face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Losing my father? How could I have ever believed that it was the worst thing to ever happen to me? It was easier to accept that he was gone because with his death it didn’t feel like my soul had been torn from my body. I would take that and be grateful._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Before this, I had begged whatever god would hear me that I would imprint. And in a sick twist, I had imprinted. I’d gotten the last part of my wish too, that I imprint on someone, anyone, when Fate gave me the enemy, and he’d left me after he’d had his way with me._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________I wished I could go back to before, before this all-consuming love and despair. But an imprint was forever. I couldn’t go back. I was stuck with a leech who didn’t want me while I was left to mourn him like a pathetic little puppy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Guilt added itself to my torment. I shouldn’t be thinking about my imprint like that. He was the center of my universe, how could I possibly wish ill on him or, to want to separate myself from him? How could I blame him for this. He didn’t know, didn’t understand what he’d come to mean to me._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Let me die. Please. Just let me die._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Sometime later, there was a knock on my door. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. The knock came again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Leah?” Seth called._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Go away,” I whispered. I knew he could hear me crying, but how could I tell him the truth? “Please, just leave me alone.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Seth?” Sue asked softly. “What happened? She was fine when she left yesterday, but she comes back like this.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I don’t know. She’s too good at blocking her thoughts when we’re wolves. Now she’s crying like I don’t even know.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Go away,” I mumbled, knowing Seth could hear me. There was a shuffle and they complied._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Finally, I gave in to the exhaustion and I slept._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________In my dreams, I searched for something, but I couldn’t find it. No matter what I did, it was always just out of reach._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________When I woke, I found new tears on my cheeks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________As I lay staring at the ceiling, I came to a single conclusion. No one could know why the vampire broke off from the others and they definitely couldn’t know that I’d spent the night with him. As difficult as this would be, it was for the best. I couldn’t have my brothers trying to find him and starting a war they had no hope of winning._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Sue was in the kitchen, stirring a pan full of gravy. “I’ve got biscuits in the oven.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________I didn’t want to eat, but if I was going to convince them that nothing happened, I needed to at least pretend to go through the motions, so I sat down at the table and allowed Sue to pile food onto my plate._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	3. Chapter 3

“Just over two weeks ago, we thought some of us might not be here, that there would be empty spots in our packs and at our tables,” Sam said to the small crowd gathered around the bonfire. “And today is the first time we’ve been able to gather all the wolves and imprints together in one place to celebrate the fact that we didn’t have to fight and those Italian bastards went home with their tails between their legs.”

_Not all the imprints are here. _I found myself looking out at the ocean. Mid-afternoon sunlight created a path straight west on the water. Somewhere, across the Pacific and another continent away, my imprint was with his coven, away from me.__

__“Now, dig in,” Sam concluded his speech, that I seemed to have missed most of, with a wave to a table laden with food._ _

__The wolves swarmed, with me bringing up the rear. I wasn’t in the mood to fight anyone for food. Let them have it. I’ll just get whatever was left._ _

__Jake smacked Paul’s hand away from a hot dog I reached for._ _

__“Come on, man. You knew she wanted that,” Jake snapped. Looked like there was still no love lost there._ _

__“Then she should be faster.”_ _

__“She’s faster than you any day of the week,” Embry said as he handed me a two-liter of Coke. “It’s the last one.”_ _

__“Thanks,” I mumbled as I tucked the bottle under my arm. With the last hot dog safely on my plate, I moved on to the next choice on the table._ _

__Once I’d gotten what I wanted, I went to the edge of the water, well away from everyone, and sat down. Why was I even here? Oh, right, Seth’s pleading puppy dog eyes convinced Jake that I needed to be here, not that I was going to participate in anything, other than eating._ _

__“Claire, get back here!” Quil shouted. She rarely attended pack functions, not unless it was an informal get-together._ _

__“Wanna see Leah!” Claire demanded._ _

__“Nah, honey, Leah wants to be left alone right now.”_ _

__“But-”_ _

__“No.” This accompanied by the sound of the protesting little girl being dragged away._ _

__A baby. Would he have stayed if he thought I could be pregnant with his baby? Would he have come back by now if he believed he might be a father? Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. But no, honesty was best in situations like that. Lying would have only made him bitter towards me._ _

__I just wanted to see him._ _

__“Leah!”_ _

__I jerked, startled at hearing my name so close. I looked up to find Sam standing about five feet from me. “What did you say?”_ _

__“I asked if you were going to pl-”_ _

__“No,” I cut him off before he could finish as I turned back to the ocean. He remained where he was for another few seconds, obviously stunned by my dismissal of him, before rejoining the others._ _

__From the sounds of it, the wolves were playing soccer while their imprints cheered them on._ _

__“Come on, Leah!” Jake called a few minutes later. “We could use the help!”_ _

__If this had been before, I would have gotten irritated and said something caustic, but I didn’t have the energy to feel anything besides the aching emptiness inside my chest. All my carefully constructed defenses had been ripped apart by a single night, leaving me raw and exposed, with fresh wounds marring my already scarred heart._ _

__“I’ll take Leah’s spot!” Ness called and I heard her run to Jake’s side._ _

__I wrapped my arms tighter around myself and pressed my forehead to my knees._ _

__It was a lot harder to pretend that nothing was wrong, so I gave up on that part. But the rest of my resolve, that no one knew I’d imprinted on and slept with a vampire, that remained as strong as ever. Who knows how they might react? I wasn’t so keen on finding out._ _

__What was he doing right now, this wayward imprint of mine? Did he think about me? My fingers reached for the chain he’d given me. The pendant rested as near to my heart as I could get it because it made me feel closer to him somehow, and it was the only part of him he’d left behind. Sometimes I thought I could still smell traces of him embedded in the metal, but I knew it was only my imagination. After two weeks of constant wear, the only scent on it was me._ _

__As I traced the links, I wondered why no one had asked me about the necklace or asked to see it. But I was glad. One look and they would know. Who could forget that V glinting on the chests of those who stood across the field intending to kill us?_ _

__My ears pricked when I heard a woman say my name and I listened in, just for something to do._ _

__“I don’t know,” Emily said quietly. “She was doing good. With the two pack minds, separation and all that, I thought she’d finally accepted being a wolf, but then after that near fight, she’s been like this. I’m worried about her, but she doesn’t talk to me anymore so I have no idea what’s going on.”_ _

__I wished I could scream at her that I had imprinted, that it wasn’t Sam I was mourning. That she could have him and happily because all I wanted was my vampire imprint. Only the thought of what Sam’s pack might try in regards to Demetri, imprint or not, kept me from moving._ _

__So much for their conversation keeping me from thinking about my loss._ _

__Two birds started squabbling not far from me and I flicked sand at them halfheartedly, in an effort to chase them away. Thankfully, they took the hint and continued their fight further down the beach._ _

__I was lost in this trackless sea with no end in sight and no way of returning to shore. Maybe that’s why I sought out the ocean’s company because it was the closest I could get to a physical representation of how I felt. Why was I the only one to have this happen to? Why couldn’t my imprint have accepted me the way the other imprints accepted their wolves?_ _

__I inhaled sharply as a new slice tore through my heart._ _

__All I had now were the memories of the most beautiful night I’d ever known. Only now that time seemed tainted because it hadn’t meant the same to him as it had to me. If he knew how torn up over him I was, how would he react? I feared that he would mock me since I wasn’t a species he would have considered being with, at least not without magic encouraging him towards me._ _

__The wind off the ocean chilled me and I fought back a small shiver. Weird. I didn’t usually get cold. To get my circulation going, I got to my feet and started walking slowly just above the waterline, with my arms around my waist._ _

__Some insane part of my mind, the part that still wanted to hope he would come back, imagined for a brief moment that he was here beside me, but I quickly silenced it. There was no use hoping for that. He was gone and I was alone._ _

__From behind me, I could hear Emily cheering when Sam made a good play. Almost immediately after, Sam grunted and hit the ground._ _

__Ness squealed, then giggled, “Ha! I got you!” This was followed by the sound of a high five. Little monster could probably whip all their asses. Good for her. Show those boys who’s boss._ _

__Once I could no longer hear what was being said, I turned around and started back. When I reached the spot I’d been in before, I sat down and resumed my former position.  
I squinted against the sun and hooked the longer pieces of my hair behind one ear while pretending that the stinging in my eyes was from the salt on the wind._ _

__“Does Jake know what’s going on with her?” Kim asked._ _

__Guess they were still talking about me. I tried to summon the normal rage I felt when I heard people gossiping about, but I couldn’t. All I could manage was to feel a slight agitation that they couldn’t find something more interesting to discuss. All my other emotional resources were otherwise occupied with the loss of my imprint._ _

__“He’s been keeping mum. I asked him and he told me that if I wanted to know what was going on with her, to talk to her,” Rachel said. “His entire pack has pretty much closed ranks around her. I mean, you saw tonight how they make sure she’s okay as best they can.”_ _

__Jake might be an annoyance sometimes, but the nice thing about his leadership style was that our secrets stayed within the pack and Jake didn’t press for things we weren’t willing to share. That was completely unlike Sam’s pack, where everyone knew everything, even those of us who were no longer a part of their pack mind._ _

__“I wish I could do something,” Emily sighed._ _

__That was it. The pity in her voice was the last straw and my tolerance for being around people reached its limit. I stood up and, keeping my head down so that my hair hid my eyes, I headed for the forest to phase._ _

__“Leah!” Seth shouted after me._ _

__I shook my head and ran for the woods like they were my last hope._ _

__“Seth! Don’t!” Jake ordered. “Let her go!” He said something else, more quietly, but I was too far away to make it out._ _

__At least Jake hadn’t forgotten what it felt like to have a heart ripped out of his chest and stomped on. If there was an upside to this, it was how Jake treated me. A part of me wondered if he figured out, at least partially, what happened. At least no one in my pack assumed that all this was over Sam._ _

__As soon as my clothes were secured to my ankle, I was racing home at top speed. In wolf form, the pain was easier, blunted, animalistic, rather than crippling. I thought I’d understood why Jake left after Bella broke his heart, but now I got a whole new perspective on it. If I didn’t hate eating raw so much, I might have considered going wolf, just to escape. I wondered what Jake would have to say if I decided to leave for a while. I didn’t think he’d stop me, otherwise he’d be a hypocrite._ _

__Through the trees, I could see my house, so I drew the heat back inside and the wolf retreated. There was an odd discomfort low in my abdomen as I returned to my human form, but almost as soon as I noticed it, it disappeared._ _

__I gasped as the human emotions resurfaced. This was the hardest part right now, having to readjust to the human interpretation of emotional pain every time I phased. Blinking hard, I yanked my clothes on, before carefully pulled the necklace over my head and tucking it beneath my shirt._ _

__As I entered the house, my stomach growled loudly. Damn, but I needed something to eat, which was slightly weird. My appetite wasn’t normally that large as to require eating every three hours, unlike some people._ _

__My nose and ears told me that Sue was out, probably on a date with Charlie, so I would just have to fend for myself. Looking in the cupboards, I found nothing that I wanted. But my stomach reminded me that I could be picky later. Right now I just needed some food in me. Opening the fridge, I began pulling out ingredients. I could always find something better after I’d silenced the beast that seemed to have taken up residence in my gut, I reasoned as I cobbled together a sandwich._ _

__Without even bothering to get a plate, I leaned against the counter to eat. If any crumbs dropped, I’d sweep them up later. As I chewed, I frowned. Something tasted a little off, but it didn’t smell bad and I knew food didn’t last long enough around here for it to spoil, so I thought nothing more about it as I continued to eat._ _

__There was still an ache in my stomach, even though the growling stopped, like I craved something, but I couldn’t put a name to what it was I wanted. Cravings. That was a new one. Since becoming a wolf, food was food._ _

___No sooner had I swallowed the last bite that I felt the strangest sensation. I froze, unable to believe what I was feeling, then raced for the bathroom. I was going to be sick!_  
Kneeling in front of the toilet, I choked up everything I’d just eaten. What the hell was that? I hadn’t thrown up since before I first phased! With shaking hands, I pulled myself to my feet and flushed the toilet. My mouth tasted foul, threatening to send me praying to the porcelain god once more, so I moved to the sink and quickly brushed my teeth.  
Now that there was nothing on my stomach, I felt mostly fine, hungry again, but okay. 

__Maybe I’d just gotten a bad bit of food. Trouble with that theory, even if it was out of date, my healing should have taken care of any nausea before I was even aware I was sick.  
Bracing my hands on the counter, I stared at my reflection in the mirror: wide eyed, fearful, paler than normal. What was happening to me?_ _


	4. Chapter 4

All at once, the world came to a screeching halt, because just beneath my navel, there was an unmistakable nudge, too strong to be confused with anything else.

“Impossible,” I breathed as I placed my hands on my stomach. This couldn’t be happening, could it? I hadn’t had a period in almost a year!

The place where the push had come from was rock hard and felt a little swollen. I pulled up my shirt and twisted to the side, looking at my stomach in the mirror. There it was, a small, but clearly visible bump pushing my muscles out just a little. That had definitely not been there when I got dressed this morning! 

“Oh, my god!” I covered my mouth with one hand, unable to believe what I was seeing. There was another nudge as if in response to my touch and for the first time in two weeks, I smiled, just a little. “Hello, baby.” I cradled the little bump and there were two more kicks as if in response. Tears spilled over and I laughed. “Yes, I can feel you too.”

“Leah?”

I spun, facing Seth and tugging my shirt down over my stomach as quickly as I could. Jake was right behind him, with Ness at his side, their wide told me they had seen everything. I wiped my tears away as quickly as I could.

“What was that?” Seth asked

“What do you mean?” Maybe if I played dumb they’d doubt what they had just witnessed. 

“Don’t act stupid. I heard you! You’re pregnant?” Seth demanded. 

“Seth. I-” How could I explain this to them? Seth was perhaps the most open minded wolf in history, but could he accept this? 

“You are.”

I nodded slowly.

“It’s a vampire, isn’t it?” Jake spoke for the first time. 

I remained silent, unsure of what to say.

Jake took my silence as confirmation and said, “We need to get you to Carlisle.” 

I remembered the fit everyone had thrown over Bella’s pregnancy, that if not for Rosalie, they would have terminated Ness, and I didn’t have Rosalie to defend me. Would they try to take my baby from me? I stepped back, wrapping my arms more protectively around my middle as I stepped back. They couldn’t take my baby! Demetri didn’t stay, but this baby was a part of him that I could love and would love me in return.

“We just need to make sure you’re okay.” Jake held up his hands. “Leah, listen to me. Carlisle is our best bet if you wanna stay alive.”

“Grandpa Carlisle is a good doctor,” Ness said as she patted my belly, right over the baby, trying to reassure me. “In fact, he’s the best doctor around for children like me.”

Slowly, I nodded. “Yeah.” Was this what going into shock felt like? 

“Seth, stay with her. I’m gonna go get my car. Come on, Ness.” The duo left the house as Seth grabbed my arm and led me to the living room. 

Automatically, I sat down on the couch and tucked my feet under me, not really comprehending anything, just following Seth’s prompting.

There was another flurry of kicks and I rubbed the spot where the movements seemed the strongest. The kicks stopped, then there was a strange flip, like a fish had taken up residence in my stomach, followed by a tickling sensation just under my hand.

Everything around me became muted, like trying to hear underwater as my mind tried to process the miracle of life within my body, a miracle I believed I would never experience. Demetri’s baby. His child now lay beneath my heart, cradled in the protective darkness of my womb. Even though he was gone, he’d left a part of himself with me and it now grew inside my body.

The front door opened and the remaining members of my pack entered the room. 

“Did Jake tell you anything?” Seth asked. My poor brother. How much more would he have to suffer because of me?

“Nope,” Embry replied. “Only that we were to make sure no one, especially any members of Sam’s pack, got anywhere near Leah.”

“He said he’d fill us in when he got back,” Quil added. 

Someone knocked on the door and Embry poked his head out, keeping me hidden from view.

“Is Leah here?” Emily asked. Why was Emily here? It didn’t make sense. Why would she think she was involved in the situation with my baby? She didn’t know my child’s father—Sam would have had a fit if a red-eyed vampire got so close to her—so why was she so worried and sad? Some part of my brain had the answer, but I couldn’t bring the information to the forefront of my thoughts because my mind was too full with the information I’d just discovered.

“Jake’s pack only allowed, I’m afraid,” Embry answered. “We’ve got some private business to discuss.”

The baby kicked again softly, and I smiled a little and I started rubbing the bump again. I must have stopped in my confusion about Emily’s presence. The baby did a little flip then. Maybe it wanted me to touch it and now it was content? It would be nice if that’s what was happening. But it was so tiny. Could it have an opinion so early?

“Could I at least talk to her?” Emily spoke again, drawing me from my happier musings. She sounded almost desperate.

“‘Fraid not.” Embry shut the door in her face.

I could hear Emily shifting on the porch for a moment before she finally walked away.

“What the hell did she want?” Quil asked, confused.

“No idea.” Embry sounded equally perplexed.

After a few minutes, the sound of Jake’s Rabbit drew closer and then stopped in front of the house. The car turned off and then the doors opened. Jake entered the room not long after that with Ness on his heels. Both of them inhaled, as though they caught a scent and were trying to trace it.

“Emily was here?” Jake asked as soon as the door was shut.

“I chased her off,” Embry replied. “She wanted to see Leah, but I didn’t let her.”

“Good. Quil, Embry, let me catch you up to speed,” Jake said as he placed his hands on his hips. “Leah is pregnant, by a vampire, and she’s starting to show.”

The wolves in question looked at me, stunned. Embry did a remarkable impersonation of a fish while Quil’s eyes just went wide. Thankfully, neither said anything.

Looking over at me, he remarked, “You never did say who the father was.”

“The- the tracker,” I whispered. “Demetri.” For a moment, all I could think of was how it felt to be held in his arms, his lips against my skin. With a sharp shake of my head, I forced those memories away. They brought nothing but pain now. 

“Leah? Tell me. Was it-?” he broke off and looked over at Ness. The other wolves tensed, understanding Jake’s unspoken question. “I mean, did you-”

“Nothing happened that I didn’t want to happen, except that he left.” I down at the floor, feeling the full weight of the sorrow that the discovery of my pregnancy had muted. I swallowed back a sob, but a few tears still escaped. “He left me.”

“You- Oh god. You did, didn’t you? You imprinted.”

I nodded. It seemed that I was doing a lot of that these days. But my throat was too tight for me to speak.

“Look at us, the ones with the most problems with vampires and we become leech lovers,” Jake laughed, then sobered quickly. I wondered what my face looked like for him to react like that. He snapped back into business mode, “Sam’s pack can know nothing about this, at least not until we get things straightened out with the Cullens. Even then, I’d prefer it if they didn’t know until after the baby is born and Leah can defend herself. Understand?”

“Sounds good with me,” Embry said, but the way his brows pulled up it made me think he was a little weirded out by the situation.

“Let’s get going.”

Seth stood up and helped me to my feet. I followed automatically, still too shocked by this recent turn of events to protest anything.

“Seth, you get in the back with Ness. We’ll let Leah take shotgun. Quil and Embry, come on behind, make sure no one from the rez follows us and if they do, give us a head’s up.” Jake ordered. Everyone moved to obey him. 

Jake put the car into gear and we headed out of La Push. 

I leaned my head against the window and curled up as much as I could in the seat, with my hands on my belly. The baby was mostly still now, except for a small flutter here and there. Was it asleep? If so, did it dream? 

“You seem happy.” Jake looked in his rear view mirror at his imprint.

“I’m not going to be the youngest anymore!” Ness said as she bounced in her seat. “I can’t wait! I’ll help him or her learn to hunt animals when they’re big enough and maybe they’ll get a wolf just like me and we’ll be best friends! I want a best friend. I mean you’re my best friend, Jake, but it would be nice to have a best friend who’s just like me!”

“Careful. I don’t think my car can handle that much excitement.” He laughed and the little girl froze mid bounce before allowing herself to drop back down slowly.

“Sorry, Jake!” She giggled.

Imprinting. Would my baby be able to imprint? Or would it be imprinted on? Would it phase? Those questions and so many more raced through my mind. This was completely new territory for everyone. There would be no Nahuel to tell us what to expect, so we would all be learning together. 

Everyone fell silent then, which I was glad of. I just wanted to focus on the tiny person inside me without distractions.

“Are you gonna need to drink blood, like Bella had to?” Seth finally spoke when we reached the other side of Forks. 

I shrugged, still staring out the window. My mind was at war with itself. I wanted to be happy, to rejoice in this little person forming within my body and make plans for the future, but the loss of my imprint made it difficult. He should be here. He should have his hands on my stomach, trying to feel the movements of the life we had created together and marveling at this occurrence. But he wasn’t. I was alone. It was just me and my baby. How could I dream of a future when half of it was already gone?

“She threw up,” Ness said as if that answered everything. “We heard her, remember?”

“Morning sickness happens in most pregnant women and Leah’s a wolf. That might make a difference. I mean, it wouldn’t bother me if Leah had to do that, but she might not like it so much.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Jake replied for me.

At about that time, we pulled into the Cullens’ drive. Tension coiled in my chest and everyone else seemed to feel it too.

“You know some of them might give you hell over this. ‘Cause they’re afraid of him, more so than I think any of the others, even Aro, because the only one he’s blind to is Bella. The rest of us? We’d be toast if he wanted to find us and he’s one of their fighters.”

“We can’t control it. You know that.”

“Which is why I’ll have your back. Blondie, I mean Rosalie,” he glanced back at Ness, but she didn’t seem to notice his slip, “might take up for you, just because it’s a baby, but the rest? It could take some convincing unless they know about the imprint.”

“Thanks, Jake.”

“We’ve all got you,” Seth said quietly as he gripped my shoulder.

As we climbed out of the car, Jake whispered to Ness, “Let us do the talking. Okay?”

She nodded gravely. Quil and Embry joined us then and Ness led the way inside.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hello, Jacob,” Rosalie said in a sugary sweet voice that hid the mock insult. Though they still antagonized each other, those two seemed to have calmed down somewhat from what their interactions were in the beginning.

I looked around the room at the vampires gathered there. Rosalie was seated on one couch with Emmett, while Carlisle and Esme took up the other one. Alice and Jasper were making an elaborate house of cards near the huge back window.

I was relieved to see that the mind reader and Bella weren’t there because they would be the ones most against this. Edward could probably hear my thoughts if he was listening, but if I could get at least some of them on my side before they arrived, we might stand a chance.

Carlisle looked up from an ancient book in his lap as he spoke, “We weren’t expecting you back until later.” His eyes moved over the rest of us. “Though since your entire pack is here, I’m guessing something’s happened?”

“Yeah. Something’s come up.” Jake shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at me. “You wanna tell them? Or would you rather I do it? I mean, it’s your business, but I am the Alpha. And I guess it’s kinda my responsibility to take care of you-”

“You’re rambling, Jacob,” Ness said as she swung his hand between both of hers.

“I’ll tell them.” Turning to the vampires, I took a deep breath and said, “I’m pregnant, and the father is a vampire. I-I need your help.”

“So what’s the problem?” Rosalie asked as she stood up with a surprisingly gentle look in my direction. “You know we are more than capable of keeping you and the baby alive now that we know what we’re doing.”

“Demetri,” I said as quickly as I could, flinching as his name passed my lips. I wondered if knowing who the father was would change Rosalie’s mind about the baby. “He’s the father.”

There was a twin rush of air as Edward and Bella joined us.

“You had sex with Demetri?” Bella’s face twisted in revulsion.

“Right after he was here to kill our daughter?” Edward all but snarled.

Bella looked ready to pounce, but Quil and Embry moved to my sides with Seth angling himself so that he could move in front of me if he needed to. Ness wrapped her tiny arms around me and stared at her mother with wide eyes.

“You owe me!” I reminded them as fear coursed through me and I shrank in on myself just a little, trying to protect the part of Demetri that I carried beneath my heart. I understood their anger, to a certain extent, but I couldn’t control this. It wasn’t my choice. Why couldn’t they understand that? I never dreamed that the wolf in me would choose a vampire as my mate! Now here I was, begging for help from another vampire, the one who’d been the initial source of my troubles, because of the child I carried.

Alice’s eyes moved back and forth as she witnessed a scene only she can see. Then, she pulled herself back to reality and placed her hand on Jasper’s arm with a brief smile and a nod.

“Bella, Edward, you both need to calm down,” Jasper said, shock coloring his expression briefly when he looked at me before he regained his neutral expression.

“Bells,” Jake warned as he too stepped closer to me, mirroring Seth. “You might be my best friend, but Leah is a part of my pack. And I protect my pack.”

Edward’s face smoothed out as he studied me. Then he winced and grabbed his head with a low groan.

“Edward!” Bella grabbed his arm, then glowered at me as though it was my fault he was in pain.

“You imprinted on him,” he choked. Served him right for trespassing in my head, but at least that was out there in the open.

“Yes.” I tucked my bangs behind my ear and nodded as fresh tears welled up in my eyes and I bit my lip to try to keep from sobbing. I blinked hard and brought a hand to my mouth as my throat tightened. “Now he’s gone.”

The mood around the room quickly shifted as the implications of what Edward said resonated. Even Bella backed down, but she still looked unhappy.

“You-” Esme started, but then she cut herself off. “Oh, you poor dear,” she sighed.

If I was still capable of feeling anger, I might have said something to her for feeling any sympathy or pity for me. But, like with the girls on the beach, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

“I think that settles it.” Carlisle walked over to me, fully in doctor mode. “Rest assured, we will do everything we can to help you. How about we get you checked out? If you’ll come with me?”

He led the way up the stairs and I followed silently behind. As soon as I’d cleared the top step, I could hear Bella hissing furiously, and Jake’s low reply. But I chose not to listen. I didn’t care. Carlisle was going to help me keep Demetri’s baby alive and that was all that mattered.

“Graduation caps?” I asked when I saw the huge frame on one wall.

“My children matriculate a lot,” he said with a wry laugh.

“Ah.”

Carlisle opened a door and led me into what looked to be an office. I knew this room, even though I’d never been in here. This was where Ness was born, though it looked different now. Medical equipment was set off to one side and he darted around the room, getting things set up.

Once he had everything to his liking, he patted the exam bed and said, “Lie down here and pull up your shirt.”

I followed his instructions. As he helped me onto the table, I caught him eyeing the jewelry around my neck. Self-consciously, I tried to hide the chain beneath my collar.

“He left that, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” I looked out the window as, once again, tears threatened to spill over.

“Enough talk about that. It was unfair of me to ask. Time to find out what we can about your baby. Admittedly, it won’t be much, but still, it will be more than what we know now.” He pressed on my stomach firmly, but not so hard as to do any damage. “Have you experienced nausea?” The baby jerked, then started kicking. “I think the chill of my hands startled it.”

“I threw everything up that I’d eaten today right before they dragged me here.” Unlike Demetri, his touch did make me want to take a snap, but I kept my teeth to myself. No sense in attacking someone who was trying to keep me alive.

There was almost no sound from downstairs as everyone remained quiet, listening to what Carlisle had to say about me and my baby. At the moment, I thought my pack might be more worried about this than I was. Maybe the concern would set in later. But at the moment, I was too overcome by the fact that I was carrying my imprint’s baby to think about why my pack was on edge.

“Cravings?”

“For something I couldn’t put a name to, but now I think I know what it is.” I wanted to gag at the thought of drinking human blood and I found myself pulling a face.

“Rosalie, get a drink for Leah, will you?” Then to me, “We’ll try it and see if blood is truly what you need. I think so, but with your physiology, it’s never safe to assume.” He pulled out a tape measure and began taking measurements of my stomach. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but the child was conceived on the day the Volturi were here?”

“Within that twenty-four hour period, yes.” My voice cracked at the end, but I could no longer bring myself to care. I was tired of pretending like I wasn’t experiencing the worst pain a wolf could ever deal with besides the actual death of an imprint.

He considered this for a moment. “According to my measurements, you are right on track with Bella. So far, it would appear that though you and Bella were two different species at the time of your children’s conceptions, your pregnancies should be similar. Though you will probably end up looking a little smaller because you’re more muscular than she was and your abdominal muscles will keep the baby from popping out so much.”

The baby twisted and it felt like it was trying to push away Carlisle’s hands. Wherever he touched, the movements became stronger closer to that area. Carlisle didn’t seem so surprised by this. At least he didn’t act like this shocked him by any means.

Just how much were these children truly aware of before they were born? Or was it simply survival instinct that caused the baby to respond to the unfamiliar so strongly?

Something had been bothering me since I’d first discovered my pregnancy and I figured now would be a good a time as any to get answers. “How? How is this even possible? I haven’t had a period since I became a wolf!”

“That is interesting.” Carlisle’s golden eyes narrowed in thought. “I’m not sure I have an answer just yet. You’re so unlike the other wolves, that I’ll have to look into it before I can give you the information you want.”

For a brief instant, the thought of Demetri with similar eyes flooded my thoughts, but I pushed the image away before it could hurt worse than it did. As if he would change for me. He was gone and I was alone, carrying his child.

Carlisle guided me into sitting up and I pulled my shirt down. My hands automatically went to my belly, cradling the baby as best I could. Almost as soon as I touched my stomach, the baby calmed down, twisting around a little before going mostly still.

High heels clicked softly on the floor outside, then someone knocked on the door.

“Come in, Rosalie.” Carlisle helped me down off the table.

Rosalie entered the room carrying a white cup with a lid and straw. Good. The less I had to look at what I would be doing shortly, the better.

Since the last time I’d seen her she had pulled her hair back into a more sensible ponytail, probably the only change she felt necessary to make to play nurse if she didn’t feel the discomfort of her ridiculous shoes.

“Try this.” She held the cup out to me with a smile.

“Yay. Blood,” I said as I took it.

She laughed. “Sorry about that, but try it first.”

I sniffed the straw reluctantly and gagged as the scent hit my nose.

“Is something wrong?” Rosalie leaned forward, worry creasing her brow. She reached towards me as though to take the cup from me, but I moved it just out of her reach.

“It smells good and that’s grossing me out.” I took a small sip and grimaced. “Tastes good too.”

The strangely sweet liquid soothed the ache in my stomach, the warmth and strength that the baby had been sapping flooding my veins.

“Think of it as medicine for the baby, if it helps.” Rosalie smoothed the hair that had fallen into my face. “I have a theory about your periods.”

“What is it?” I asked after another swallow. I really needed a distraction from the fact that I was now doing the very thing I’d killed others for. “Your theory about how I became pregnant without a period?”

“Animals don’t have menstrual cycles in the way humans do. Rather than shedding it, the uterine lining gets absorbed back into the body so there’s no physical evidence. I wonder if that’s what happens with you.”

Ugh. Why did this have to taste so good? I could feel some part of myself trying to choke, to stop me from drinking; the wolf in me wanted to rebel at having to act like a vampire, even for a moment, but it was for my imprint’s child, so that overrode anything I wanted.

“Wouldn’t her body still have a difficult time carrying a child because of her need to phase?” Carlisle asked Rosalie. “I can’t imagine, as she got further along, that transitions would be feasible without harming both her and the child.”

I didn’t say anything, just listened to them talking. Maybe I could learn a little more about this body fate had decided to give me. No one else could tell me anything and even though these two were only guessing, it was still more than I’d had to go on before.

“I have another idea, what if, because of her present state, her body only accepts an embryo that would allow her to remain a wolf? If she’d had sex with someone whose child required a longer gestation period, her body just might reject any resulting product of conception and abort it naturally.” Looking at me, she asked, “When was the last time you phased?”

“Earlier today, but it kinda hurt.” Phasing around a rock wasn’t the best thing I could have done for my body.

“See? In two more weeks, she’ll be able to phase again, not nearly enough time to become human.”

“Or perhaps her body truly was frozen, but the imprinting triggered ovulation.”

“Either way, it’s almost as though her body was made to carry these children. She’s so much stronger than a human, more durable. What would be painful and dangerous to a human would be annoying and uncomfortable. If her baby kicks too hard, it will hurt, but it wouldn’t pose the risk that it did to Bella.”

“Yay me.” I took another sip, trying, and failing, not to think about where this had come from. “Nahuel’s mother drank animal blood and she survived long enough to give birth. You said it yourself, I am stronger than she was, so why not?”

Carlisle frowned, considering for a while, before he finally answered, “I can’t recommend it. I know you find the idea it distasteful, but venom won’t save you and the only thing that will give you the best chance of survival is human blood.”

“I’m going to have to second Carlisle’s opinion,” Rosalie said with an apologetic grimace. “These pregnancies are difficult as it is, so we have to do everything we can to keep you as strong as possible, just so you can give birth, which you know is a nightmare if not handled properly.”

I shuddered as the memory of Ness’s birth flashed through my mind. Thanks, Jake, for giving me a front row seat to that. I really needed it, especially now that I had my own half vampire baby on the way.

“We know better when to deliver,” Rosalie reassured me. She must have correctly interpreted the fear on my face. “Your baby won’t have such a terrible birth because he or she will be out of you before it can happen. I’ve been through medical school and I’ll be assisting Carlisle with everything, including the birth. And your blood holds no appeal so the temptation in that direction will be minimal.”

“I’ll act as backup if necessary,” Edward said from downstairs. I wondered why he’d suddenly warmed up to the idea of me having a Volturi baby. Maybe Ness had gotten to him. Oh, well. I couldn’t bring myself to question it or argue.

Someone else knocked on the door and Esme stuck her head in. “I’ve prepared a room for you, if you’re interested.”

“I don’t think it would be in your best interest to return home in your present condition,” Carlisle said.

“Because of the other pack?” I asked. I winced at the reaction Sam’s pack would have if they knew what was going on with me. If Jake imprinting on a half vampire caused a raucous, what would they say about my situation?

“That and unforeseen complications,” Carlisle replied. “I think we’d better have a chat with your pack before we make any decisions, but, as a doctor, I have to ask that you stay nearby.”

“I’ll go with whatever Carlisle thinks is best for you,” Jake said from wherever he was downstairs.

“If you’ll come with me?” Esme motioned for me to follow her. “Normally, I wouldn’t dream of putting a woman in your condition on the third floor, but you might be more comfortable, away from most of the smell. And Carlisle can always examine you in your room. Or Rosalie and I can help you around. Whatever’s best for you.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, touched that this vampire was going out of her way to help someone pregnant with their enemy’s child. It had been so long since someone had done anything genuinely kind for me, or do something for me that didn’t benefit them as well in some way.

“Here you are.” She opened the door to a room furnished in soft grayish violet. It was soft, soothing to my battered soul. “If you need anything just let us know.”

I fell backward onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Just as I was drifting off, someone knocked on the door.

“It’s Alice, may I come in?”

“Sure.” What did hyperactive pixie want now?

The little vampire opened the door and suddenly was standing at the foot of my bed.

“So, I was wondering if I could get your permission to start shopping for baby clothes.”

“I thought you can’t see these kids. How would you know whether you were shopping for a boy or a girl?”

“I can’t see them, but I can see my decisions and I looked two weeks into my future to see what clothes I would be buying and so I know.”

“So, what is it?”

“Pick out some pretty girls’ names.”

“Better than Renesmee?” I whispered so softly I knew no vampire on the first floor could hear me.

Alice giggled. “Yes, definitely. I don’t know what anyone was thinking, encouraging that.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll let you get some sleep. You look exhausted. Maybe Esme can whip something up for you to eat when you wake up.”


	6. Chapter 6

My stomach twisting, threatening to revolt, woke me and I hurried to the bathroom as fast as I could before I got sick. If I went too long without drinking blood, since I refused to drink it all day long, like Bella did, I became ill.

 _Maybe I should start drinking more,_ I mused as I rinsed my mouth out. I didn’t want to, but throwing up couldn’t be good for my health or the baby’s.

In the four days since I’d started crashing at Casa del Vampiro my belly had grown so much that at first glance, anyone would know I was pregnant. Another week to go and I was going to be a mother. It was a strange thought after so long believing I was sterile.

“There’s gotta be something we can do!” Jake’s shouting drew my attention.

I guessed that they were arguing about me, again.

“I’m sorry, Jacob. We have to wait for him to leave on his own,” Carlisle replied calmly.

Rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands, I decided that I may as well join the land of the living, or rather undead instead of going back to bed like I wanted to do.

Hanging from a hook on the door was a set of loose fitting clothing laid out for me. Judging from the scent, it was Rosalie. I stripped and climbed into the shower. One thing about living with vampires, my personal hygiene routine definitely changed. I showered twice a day instead of just when I crashed at home. Not that showering would wash away the shapeshifer smell, but at least I wouldn’t have human body odor to go with it.

“But we don’t know how long that will take!” Seth protested. “Do you see how badly she’s hurting?”

“Come on, Doc, isn’t there anything?” Embry joined in.

“Do you want Leah in the Volturi’s clutches? They’d use her bond to him to turn her into a slave, _if_ they even allow her to survive the baby’s birth,” Rosalie snapped. “We have to think about what’s best for Leah and her daughter in the long term. Yes, she’s suffering right now and it breaks my heart to see it, but it’s better than the alternative. We need him to be able to think for himself outside of Aro’s control before allowing him near her or the baby, and as long as he’s under Chelsea’s influence, that won’t happen.”

This was why I was glad Rosalie was in my corner. She knew what needed to be done, even though it was hard.

“You said it yourself, Jake,” Alice said, “that the imprinted party feels a pull too. We know he feels drawn to her. The fact that she’s carrying his daughter is proof of that. We just can’t give up or do anything to put her in harm’s way.”

I pulled on the sweatpants and tossed the huge shirt over my head and sighed. Similar arguments had broken out over the course of my stay here.

“It’s imprint bond verses Chelsea’s talent,” Jasper added. “Right now, that imprint is competing with nine hundred years worth of manipulation. While Chelsea has no power over mating bonds, right now, that bond is mostly one way, though I believe that the time he spent with her strengthened its pull on him. Even then, it could be as short as a few days, or it could be decades before he’s free.”

Decades. I fell to my knees. Decades without my imprint. What the hell had I done to anger fate so badly! I wrapped my arms around my middle and rocked back and forth as the thought of endless years without my reason for existing stretched out in front of me. My center of gravity was thousands of miles away and everything was spinning out of control.

There was a strange keening sound, but I couldn’t place it and I couldn’t think to find a way to make it stop. My chest hurt and my head started to spin.

“Shh, Leah.” Cold hands drawing me close to an even colder body brought me sharply back to reality.

Oh, it was me. I was the one screaming. My screams turned into shuddering sobs and I leaned my head against Rosalie’s shoulder. Bleach, ice, and overly sweet things filled my nose, but I was too drained to care or for the urge to snap to surface.

Rosalie rubbed my back. “Shh, shh. It will be okay. It won’t be forever and Demetri’s baby needs you now more than ever because you’re the only parent she has.”

“Why?” I whispered. “Why did I have to get an imprint like this? What did I do?”

“Sweetheart,” Esme knelt down beside Rosalie. “It wasn’t you. You didn’t do anything wrong. This is all on Aro and Chelsea. They’re the ones who made Demetri unable to stay with you. I know you’re hurting and I can’t imagine the pain you’re going through. But you have to believe that this isn’t your fault. None of this is.”

“Esme’s right,” Rosalie said. “You aren’t to blame for any of this.”

Hearing that it wasn’t my fault did help, at least a little.

I sat there, on the floor, allowing the two vampires to comfort me for a while, though I was finally forced to move when my stomach started growling and the baby kicked in response.

Rosalie helped me to my feet. “Come on, let’s get you something to drink. Maybe some food too, if you’re up to it. Esme’s making lunch.” She didn’t let me go, just kept one arm around me, almost hugging me as she guided me down the stairs.

“And there’s a hot cocoa recipe I’ve been wanting to make. It sounds like it would be very good,” Esme said as she breezed back to the kitchen.

“Okay.” I felt too numb to argue.

Rosalie led me over to the couch. I curled up on two cushions with my head resting against one arm and a blanket draped over me. I usually didn’t need blankets, but the kid seemed to be sucking some of my warmth into itself, so once in a while, I got a little chilled.

Jake, Ness, Seth, and Embry were seated on the floor playing a video game of some kind. Quil was no where to be seen, which was a little unusual, considering it was Saturday. The wolves glanced back at me with various expressions of worry. I smiled as best I could, but even I knew that it fell flat.

Looking at the clock, I couldn’t help but be a little shocked. I’d slept nearly until noon. That would explain Quil’s absence. He was probably babysitting Claire right now. Poor Quil, the much-abused babysitter for who know how much longer.

Bella and Edward were nowhere to be seen, which was a small blessing, considering I still disliked her, and Edward acted like he was suffering so badly having to hear my thoughts. Couple of drama queens, the pair of them. They deserved each other.

“Leah, do you wanna play?” Ness offered me her controllers.

“No thanks. I’m good.”

Alice sat down beside me and her terrifying mate stood across the room next to the huge back window, probably in an effort to dull the effect my emotions were having on him. The way his eyebrows pulled together slightly told me that the distance wasn’t doing much for him.

“I remember what it was like,” Alice said, “waiting for Jasper.”

Confusion made me look at her.

“I woke up in 1920 all alone with no memories, no idea who I was. Jasper’s face was the first thing I saw and I knew from that moment on that he was going to be mine, that we would be together always. I fell in love with him through my visions. But he wasn’t ready for me, not then. So I waited all by myself. For twenty-eight years I waited for Jazz and then another two years to find the Cullens.” She patted my leg. “I had my visions to keep me company though, and you have us and the baby to help you through this.”

“If he comes,” I mumbled.

Alice was suddenly crouching in front of me. Taking my face in both her hands, she said fervently, “Demetri will come. I can’t see when exactly. I just know that he does and you won’t have to wait decades. Jazz was just being dramatic. Believe that.”

“I can’t. It hurts too much.” I bit my lower lip to try to keep my tears in check. Trying to think about how long I’d have to wait before he was with me left me struggling for breath.

Jasper winced.

“Sorry. I know it can’t be easy, being around me right now.” Why was I apologizing to the vampire when I usually struggled even apologize to my own pack mates for my behavior. Maybe it was because Jasper had done nothing to me personally, but before the split, the wolves made it very difficult for me to even try to get along with them.

“Broken hearts are never easy, especially when they’re of the non-human variety.”

Rosalie came back into the room with a white cup and straw in one hand and a steaming cup of cocoa in the other. “Does anything sound good? Esme’s willing to make something special if you like.”

Embry opened his mouth to say something, but Jake smacked the back of his head.

“Like I said before, I’m not really picky. Food’s food when you’re a wolf.” I sucked as much of the blood down as I could in one gulp, then grimaced. Why did it have to be blood? Why couldn’t I want Cheetos and frosting or pickles and ice cream, like a normal pregnant woman?

“Have you thought of any baby names?” Rosalie asked. For not being a telepath, she had a pretty good idea of what I needed to get my mind off of things I didn’t want to think about.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek for a bit before replying, “My father’s name was Harry, but I don’t want to give that name directly to the child, so I was thinking of something starting with an H. Haylla, maybe. It means unexpected gift, which this baby is. I’m still hung up on a middle name.” I took another large swig.

“Haylla is a lovely name,” Rosalie said with a smile. “And I think it’s beautiful that you want to give her a piece of her grandfather.”

I drained the rest of the white cup as quickly as I could, then cradled the mug of steaming cocoa in my palms, allowing the heat to soak into my skin. It was rare that anything felt warm to me, so I took it whenever I got the chance.

The baby issued a flurry of kicks, which were starting to get uncomfortable.

“Woah, hey. No need to get excited,” I murmured as I rubbed the spot. “I know you like it when I drink that stuff, but maybe not so hard next time?”

“May I?” Rosalie gestured to my stomach.

“Um, sure.” I took a sip of my drink.

She knelt down and placed her hand on me.

“She is going to be the most unique hybrid out there,” Rosalie said as she rubbed a soothing hand over the spot where the baby kicked. “A wolf mother and the strongest tracker in the world for a father? There’s no way this child will be like the others.”

“How’s the cocoa?” Esme’s voice floated from the kitchen.

“Best damn cocoa I’ve ever had,” I admitted. Okay, okay, Esme could cook and I’d missed out when we were hanging around waiting for Ness’s birth. So what?

“Time to eat!” Esme called.

The other wolves and Ness ran for the kitchen. Or rather the wolves ran while Jake dragged Ness behind him. That kid still wasn’t overly fond of most human food.

“Leah, I’ll bring some to you.” A few seconds later Esme entered the room with a plate piled high with barbecue chicken breast, roasted herb red potatoes, green beans with what looked like bacon bits, and macaroni and cheese.

“Thanks.” Having to live with the leeches made me appreciate Esme just a little bit more. Too bad she was a vampire, I might have actually liked her. But who was I to talk?

I began eating, just to try to keep from looking at her and feeling guilty for disliking her. Jasper coughed around a quick laugh and I scowled at him. Or at least I tried, but it probably came off as more comical around my mouthful of food.

“I remember how it was when I was pregnant, not very well, mind you. Human memories fade. But I remember being hungry, the cravings, and feeling more and more like a beached whale whenever I tried to get up or move around.”

“I didn’t know you had any children.”

“A boy. He died though, two days after he was born, poor thing.” She smiled sadly. “A parent should never have to outlive their child.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.” She patted my leg. “Now I have a house full of children and then there’s Nessie and your baby for however long you’re with us. So I don’t really have time to miss what I can no longer have.”

I chewed quickly, then swallowed. “So wanting to have children, it doesn’t go away when you turn?”

“Unfortunately no,” Rosalie replied. “In fact, I think it may be amplified to some extent, especially if that was what you wanted most as a human.”

“So you have to make do.”

Rosalie nodded unhappily, her eyes moving towards the doorway Ness had just run through. “We try.”

“I do understand,” I admitted quietly. “You know I used to believe that I couldn’t have children. So I went through all that, all that pain for almost a year, thinking I was a genetic dead end, that I became a wolf because I wasn't meant to be a mother. I can’t imagine living like that forever.”

“And now you’re going to have a beautiful baby girl,” Esme said, brightening. Okay, so maybe not all vampires were evil bloodsucking monsters who deserved to be torn apart. Still didn’t mean I had to be their best friend or like Bella.

For a long moment, the only sounds were of forks hitting plates and muffled conversations from the kitchen.

“Oh, yay!” Alice clapped her hands together several minutes later and grinned like a maniac as she leaped to her feet.

“Alice, what’s going on?” Rosalie asked.

“Let’s just say that it’s a good thing Carlisle’s here.”

“Alice, please, enlighten us,” Carlisle said from somewhere overhead.

“I’m on my way up.” If I didn’t know any better, she was about to break into a victory dance. Pausing at the foot of the stairs, she said, “Eat, Leah. Baby needs food.”

“Baby needs blood and forces me to drink it.” I scowled at the empty cup at my feet. “And it’ll want even more per day before it’s born. Hurray.” This was the part I hated about being pregnant with a hybrid baby. Drinking blood.

“Fine, you need food. Eat! Growly wolves are no fun.” She pouted playfully and then giggled.

Sticking my tongue out at her for lack of any better response, I returned my attention to my plate. For all my complaining, I wouldn’t trade Demetri’s baby for any other child in the world. It was a part of him and a part of me, combined into one tiny being that was now nestled within my body.

“Did you want anything else?” Rosalie asked.

“I’m good for now.” I set the empty plate on the table and placed my hand on my stomach, feeling the baby’s little kicks and jerks. For all Alice’s promises that he would come, I didn’t know if I could allow myself to believe her. Hope unfulfilled was sometimes more painful than the initial injury. I would know all about that.

Bella entered the room just then, coming in from who knows where, nor did I care. Edward followed along behind her. I rolled my eyes. That was just what I needed, another lecture about how she knew what it was like to go through heartbreak. Blah blah blah. I preferred Alice’s little speech better because that was truly sad.

The newborn’s attitude towards everything rankled me, especially how she regarded humanity. Bella had a choice and she chose to become a monster, unlike the rest of us who were thrown into the shark tank with no warning or hint as to what was coming. She only saw the fairy tale aspect of the vampire world, the beauty, the abilities, of being special. She’d yet to face its truly harsh realities head on, to have to make difficult decisions or to make any real sacrifices. So far, the Cullens had protected her from most of that, but they couldn’t always. Sooner or later, she would have to be responsible for her own self. I wondered what she would do if she killed someone? Would that be the reality check she needed to get her ass off her high horse and down here in the muck and mire with the rest of us?

Edward frowned at me, but said nothing. But the worried expression that flitted across his face told me more than words could have. He’d wondered the same thing.

“You still don’t like me, do you?” Bella asked.

“No.”

“Why not? It’s not like I ever did anything to you.”

“Why don’t I like you? Because you make everything about yourself. Even things that have nothing to do with you, and you drag everyone else into the mess along with you. You’re a damn drama queen and I’m tired of you thinking that the whole freaking world revolves around you.” I stood up. Rosalie grabbed my arm with one hand and snagged my mug of cocoa with the other as she helped me to my feet. “Now, I’m going to go to my room before I say something that will have people wanting to tear my throat out and I am unable to defend myself.”

Rosalie handed me back my cup. “Do you need help getting up stairs?”

Bella frowned slightly at Rosalie’s offer for help.

“I shouldn’t. But if you hear a thump, come running.” With that, I walked away.

Closing the door behind me, I lay down on the bed, facing the wall, with my hands on my stomach. My little girl bumped against my hand and I stifled a sob.

I tried to be strong, I tried to be brave. But how long could I be strong when all the broken little pieces of me were threatening to shatter beneath the weight?

The baby shifted, twisting as it found a more comfortable position.

Tears burned my eyes and I squeezed my lids shut against them. Burying my face in the pillow, I tried to stifle the little sobs that managed to break free. He wasn’t here. He wasn’t witnessing his daughter growing inside me. He wasn’t here and I was all alone.

A commotion broke out down stairs, but I didn’t have the energy to find out what it was. I grabbed the other pillow and put it over my head, in a vain attempt to drown out the noise.

Some time later, someone knocked on the door.

“Leah? It’s Carlisle. May I come in? I need to speak to you about something.”

I sniffed, trying to inhale my pain, as I rubbed the tears from my eyes and sat up. “Sure.”

The door opened, and Carlisle stepped into the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Carlisle wasn’t alone. An imposing figure stood behind him, a form that I would know anywhere. In a leather jacket rather than the gray cloak he still cut an intimidating silhouette.

“Demetri,” I whispered, unable to keep myself from speaking. He was here! He was truly here! I was tempted to pinch myself just to be sure. But the cold expression on his face froze any hope before I could fully feel it. I pulled the blanket over my stomach and drew my knees up, trying to disguise the fact that I was pregnant. Thankfully I carried small enough that as hunched over as I was, my oversize t-shirt may have masked it before he noticed.

He stepped around Carlisle with a nod to the doctor to stand at the foot of my bed. Even in stillness, Demetri was so graceful and my heart ached at his beauty. The disparity between his elegance and my own roughness was so wide that, for a moment, I wondered why fate had decided that he was meant for me.

“ I’ll leave you two to talk,” Carlisle said as he shut the door.

Demetri raised a  black  brow at the blanket and said,  “ It’s a little late for modesty, don’ t  you think?” 

The  total lack of emotion in his voice cut through me deeper than I could have imagined and I closed my eyes against the pain.  A hint of shame raced down my spine at the way he spoke about the night we spent together.  So I was right. I was nothing to him and this bond to me was something he  would detest if he knew .

“What did you do to me?” He demanded. “And don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about.  You did something to me. I know it. I felt it. I was just too distracted at finding a beautiful woman completely naked in the woods to question it further. ”

I looked down at my hands, unable to meet his scarlet gaze as I inhaled, trying to draw whatever strength I had left. I had to be honest with him, no matter what, I couldn’t lie. “We call it imprinting.” A moment’s hesitation then I continued, “It’s when a wolf finds their soulmate. I suppose it’s something like love at first sight, only so much more, at least on the wolf’s end. Everything that tied us to our lives, to the planet itself, is sliced away, like the weakest of threads and we are bound by a million steel cables to that person. This force is so strong that we feel as though it’s not gravity holding us to the planet, it’s that person. They’re the center of our universe and everything else swirls around that one point. We would do anything, be anything that our imprint needs. Nothing else matters.” I chanced a glance at him and watched as he put the pieces together. 

“And how does the ‘imprint’ usually feel about all this?”  The way he dragged out the word ‘imprint’ made me want to scream.  This was what I was afraid of. I knew it. He didn’t want me. He’d only wanted me  that one night  for sex. 

“Though they may feel a pull towards the wolf, they get to choose whether to accept it, or walk away. Whatever they want. Their wishes become our commands, no matter what.”

He walked over to the window, staring outside, his  hands clasped behind his back .  Why had fate given me thi s demon  with an angel’s face  as an imprint, only to allow him to walk away?

“We can’ t control it and we can’t pick our partner. It just happens.” This was it, he was going to leave me. There were no tears as I had thought there  would be when the moment came,  because my pain was beyond tears .  Once again,  I wasn’ t enough,  only this time the rejection was soul level . I closed my eyes and leaned back against the headboard, willing myself to stop feeling at all. 

“You have  absolutely no choice in the matter?”  H is voice drew me from my thoughts.  There was no judgment  now , only confusion and curiosity, which might have surprised me were I capable of feeling such an emotion. 

I turned to look at him as I replied,  “None whatsoever.”

His brows furrowed and  more of that disquieting blankness left his face.  “So  y ou weren’t  trying to force an alliance with the Volturi  and decided that I would  be a  good choice. ”

“ N o.” I looked out the other window. “ I could never do that to someone,  to force someone to  be with me .”

“I don’t know whether to be relieved at this or insulted.” The way he said it told me that he was talking to himself. “It wasn’t a trick or a ploy.” He exhaled sharply. “It _was_ real. Every touch, every kiss. It  was _real_.”

H e was  beautiful ,  even his eyes, though they were red with human blood. A lock of his black hair fell across his forehead and he brushed it away before going completely still other than his breathing.  I wanted to keep staring at him, but I forced myself to look back out the window

For a long moment  after that  there was no sound in the room other than our breathing and my heartbeat, which thankfully was enough to drown out the baby’s.  I wasn’t going to tell him about the baby unless he wanted to stay. I wouldn’t want him to think I was trying guilt him into choosing me just because he’d gotten me pregnant.

Finally I broke the silence,  “ If you’re going to kill me,  just do it  already,  please . This death by inches is  more than I can bear .”

“ I  came here for answers, not to kill you ,” he snapped. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he continued  in a much softer voice,  “ I beg you to f orgive me. I’m very much out of my depth at the moment and that  is  not something I’m accustomed to .”

“ I’ve told you what I know.  I don’t know what else you’re looking for.”

He raked his hands through his hair in a surprisingly human gesture.  “ For the last three weeks, all I could think about was you. I couldn’t get you out of my head.”  He looked at me then, his eyes desperate. “You haunted me.  Y our voice echoed in my ears , the taste of your lips  ever present on my tongue,  the feel of your skin against mine, a ghost I could never capture .  I could find no artifice in your touch, no hidden agenda in your responses to me .  I t tormented me that a girl who was supposed to be my enemy asked for nothing from me, expected nothing in exchange for a night with me .”

“If you think everyone wants something from you in exchange for sex, you must have encountered some terrible people,” I quipped in an effort to keep myself from hoping, and failing miserably. Was it possible that he’d suffered as I had?

“Terribly selfish people, more like it.” His lips curled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes, as he crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I wanted you for you, not for what I might get from screwing a member of the Guard. If it was that, don’t you think I’d have tried something when you were here months ago?” My heart leaped at his nearness as desperation flooded my entire being and it was a fight to keep my hands to myself. “I’m a wolf. I don’t like forming alliances with vampires, and I definitely don’t make it a habit of sleeping with them. You were the exception.”

“I know.” His face pinched just a little as he thought. “I don’t know why, but I believe you.”

“So, you’re-you’re not angry with me?”

“Not anymore.” He sighed. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it “Your drink is going cold.”

The cocoa. It had completely slipped my mind once I’d set it down and I moved to reach for it.

“Here.” Demetri handed it to me.

I took a sip and found it to be lukewarm. Oh well, it still tasted good. I drank it quickly so that it wouldn’t go to waste and he placed the cup back on the table.

Slowly, he reached out and brushed my lower lip with the tip of his finger before trailing his hand down my cheek to my neck, tracing the chain there. “You kept it.”

“It-it was yours,” I whispered. “It was the only proof that you were real and that for a moment, you wanted me.”

His brows pulled together and he tilted his head as he studied me. “I’ve traveled this world for a thousand years. I thought my life was as it was going to be for the rest of my existence and I was content. Then, you blazed through my world like a wild fire, burning away everything I thought I cared about. Upon my return to Volterra, I discovered that my life felt hollow, empty. At first I thought it might have been the near battle and the newfound understanding that the Volturi were not all powerful that left me feeling that way. But about a week ago, I realized something.” He laughed once, without humor. “Nothing had changed, nothing except me. And that unsettled me. So, two days ago I found the first plane heading to the US and hitched a ride in an effort to uncover the truth. When I got here though, I took out my frustration on the source of my disquiet, like an ogre and that was cruel, especially in light of what you’ve told me.”

A week ago. That would have been a few days before I discovered that I was pregnant.

“You’re not leaving me again?” I whispered. I hated how weak, how pathetic I sounded, but I couldn’t help myself.

“I may not fully understand what this all means, but I would be a fool to walk away from someone who looked at me as though I hung the celestial bodies just for them.” Demetri took one of my hand in both of his and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “I never thought that I might be the recipient of such devotion. And I dare say you never, not even in your wildest dreams, imagined that you would be so dedicated to a vampire.”

“No.” I laughed shakily.

“Leah.” He linked my fingers with his, studying our hands, as if to compare my copper skin with his own pale complexion. “How can this be? We are two different species that are supposed to be enemies, we were born centuries apart. And yet, Fate still brought us together.”

“Maybe you weren’t ready before now.” What did Bella see in Edward when there was Demetri to look at? I blinked, trying to refocus my thoughts. I needed to get this straightened out before I allowed myself to become distracted by his face.

The baby began kicking just then, reminding me of its presence and I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out how best to broach the subject of its existence. If he moved any closer to me, he might discover it on his own, but I wanted to tell him before that happened.

“If you keep staring at me like that, I’m liable to burst into flames,” he joked, though his voice still sounded strained.

“I-I was wrong, about something I told you that night.”

“Really?” He cocked his head, eyes curious. “What might that be?”

“I told you that I was incapable of-of having children. Turns out, it’s not true.” I paused, before continuing in a rush, “I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Demetri repeated softly.

I nodded, frightened by his lack of emotional response, as I slowly straightened my legs and lowered the blanket. He froze at the sight of my belly. “I didn’t know. I truly believed this was impossible. That I became a wolf just so that my genes didn’t go to waste.”

Almost hesitantly, he reached out and placed one hand on the swell of my belly. Like it always did when a vampire touched me, the baby began to kick. I rubbed along the side of my stomach and the kicking quieted to a less painful level. His lips moved, like he wanted to speak, but he remained silent. Then, he leaned over, so that his forehead rested just above my navel.

After a moment’s pause, I brushed my fingers through his hair and he moaned softly, pressing his cheek against my stomach, his eyes closed as a small smile played around the corners of his mouth

“I can hear it,” he murmured, sounding dazed. “It’s heart beats so fast, faster than a hummingbird’s wing.” He brought his other hand up so that he was framing my belly. “I never dreamed that this would be something I would want. But now, everything has changed.”

“I’m still having trouble believing this child is real.” I laughed a little, but the sound cut off as a lump formed in my throat. “It’s something I never thought I would be able to experience. I thought I was destined to watch others have this while I was denied it.”

Demetri sat up and moved closer to me, so close that his breath stirred my hair. “I’d like to kill whoever made you believe that you were good for naught but the life of a shapeshifter if you couldn’t have children. That’s a load of rubbish. The ability to have a child doesn’t make a woman worth more than her barren counterparts.” His voice turned fierce in the end, but still somehow gentle. “Even if you couldn’t have children, that doesn’t detract from how incredible you are. Anyone who says, thinks, or acts otherwise isn’t worth your time.”

I felt tears well up in my eyes and I inhaled sharply, trying to draw them back in. Even though I was pregnant, hearing him say that healed a wound inside me that, in light of my pregnancy, I had forgotten I possessed.

“What is it?” His brows furrowed.

“Nothing.” I waved away his concern. “Haven’t you heard? Pregnant women get emotional over stupid crap.” I rubbed my face roughly, irritated at myself for my reactions.

But the look in his eyes told me he saw through my flimsy excuse and his next words confirmed it, “People who’ve been broken by those they should trust also cry when they finally believe that they’ve done nothing to deserve the way they were treated.”

“Damn you,” I said without any venom as a fresh bout of tears sprang up.

“Oh, Leah, I will find out who broke you. And when I do, they will regret every tear they’ve caused you to shed,” he said as he brushed his fingertips against my cheek, but he didn’t seem to be talking to me. When he spoke again, it was to change the subject entirely. “Have you thought of any names?”

The chill of his skin calmed me and I replied, “Alice says it’s a girl. So, my father died the day that I phased. Anyway, I was thinking about giving her a name close to his, which is Harry, and I found the name Haylla.” Suddenly, I felt much less certain of my choice. “If you want another name, we can talk about it. I mean, I like the name, but I don’t know if-”

He smiled as he placed his finger over my lips to silence me. “That’s Swahili for ‘Unexpected gift.’ It fits her and I think it’s lovely that you want to pass a part of your father on to our daughter.”

“So, you’re okay with it?” I covered my mouth and yawned heavily. The emotional toll wore me down and now that some of it was resolved, all I wanted was to sleep for a while, but my imprint was with me, I was afraid to close my eyes, so I didn’t miss another moment with him.

“I’m more than okay with it.”

“What about a middle name? Do you want to pick that?”

“I’ll think about it.” He studied me, his scarlet eyes thoughtful. “You blame yourself for your father’s death, don’t you?”

“He had a heart attack brought on by shock, because he wasn’t expecting me to turn.”

He frowned briefly before saying, “I might not be a doctor, but I do know that heart attacks aren’t brought on just by fright or shock. There has to be underlying factors to exacerbate the issue. Your father died due to poor health, not because you became a wolf.” He tapped the end of my nose and said, “You should sleep.”

I shook my head. My mind was buzzing too much for me to think about relaxing. How was it that my imprint managed to heal wounds that had nothing to do with him? I thought I was supposed to be whatever he needed, and yet, here he was, being what I needed. It made no sense.

“At least lie down. From what I’ve gathered, you’ve been under a lot of stress, most of your recent problems caused by me,” he frowned briefly at that as though the thought brought him some measure of discomfort. “So you need to rest.” Kicking off his shoes, he laid his head on the other pillow and looked up at me, an impish smile on his lips. “Now you have no excuse.”

With a resigned groaned, I followed his example, facing him. He traced my eyebrows, down my nose, then over my lips, as if trying to memorize me, not that he needed to with his perfect recall.

“You are so beautiful. Not the perfection of a vampire,” he gestured to his face, “but natural, unaltered beauty. There’s no way our child will be anything but stunning.” Demetri murmured. “Speaking of which, what about Rosalin?”

“Why Rosalin?”

“It seems only fair that at least one of the children Rosalie has worked to bring into the world carry a part of her.”

“Haylla Rosalin. I like that.”

“Good.” He pulled the blanket back over me and started to sing softly in a language I wasn’t familiar with. That ring in his voice that I found so annoying in other vampires sounded so beautiful coming from him and my eyes drifted shut as I listened.


	8. Chapter 8

I must have dozed off because the next thing I was aware of was a knock on my door. I blinked, trying to adjust my mind to waking after going to sleep unexpectedly. Something happened, I couldn’t figure out what, except that I was happy, but why?

“Leah? It’ s  dinner time,” Rosalie  said through the door. 

With my face buried in the pillow, I could smell nothing by my own scent and Rosalie’s. I was lying on my side, away from the door, but there was no Demetri facing me.  I knew it. My mind had finally snapped. He wasn't here. I  ha d only imagined the reunion, painful though it was  to start.

“She’ ll  be down in a moment,”  someone, a male vampire, replied from behind me.

I looked  over my shoulder , shocked. Demetri was leaning against the headboard  with  a thick,  ancient smelling boo k in his lap.  He smiled at me and closed the book carefully before setting it on the nightstand when he saw that I was awake. 

“You’re here,” I whispered, sitting up slowly.  I wanted to touch him, but was terrified that if I did, it would turn out to be nothing more than a figment of my broken imagination.

“ I’m here.” He brushed my hair out of my face. 

His touch was solid enough. So  maybe  I hadn’t gone crazy. He was really here!

“You’ r e afraid.  Why? ”

“ I thought I’ d only dreamed that you’ d come back.  I woke up and I didn’t see you, so I thought- I thought it wasn’t real, ” I admitted in a small voice.  Damned imprint, damned pregnancy hormones. They turned me into a freaking crying mess when I rarely ever cried. 

“Would you dream that I’d behave like a total cad and say terrible things?”

“It’d make sense, with the way my life’s gone.”

Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to my temple. “Poor girl.  To have known so much pain in such a short time. ” He leaped from the bed and held out his hand. “ Y ou need to eat  before your stomach starts shouting at me .”

“And drink,” I said with a frown as the first tendrils of nausea curled trough my stomach.  How long had I slept? If it was dinner time, it must have been  closer to six or seven, which meant I’d slept for about four hours after Demetri came.  As if to prove my  though , the scent of  spices being cook ed wafted up from the kitchen.

“Blood?” He raised an eyebrow. 

I nodded. “If I don’ t drink  something soon, I’ m gonna start throwing up .”

He made a face before his expression smoothed out again. “We can’t have that, now can we?”

“I’ll get you a cup,” Rosalie called. 

Right. Damn super hearing from everybody in the house. It hadn’t bothered me so much before because I’d had no one  that I wanted  to talk  to.  Now, there was so much I wanted to say, but didn’t because it felt too private for anyone else to hear.

“Let’s get you taken care of before you get sick.”

As we walked out the door, Demetri placed his hand on the small of my back. I glanced at him, but he kept his gaze straight ahead. His brows were furrowed and his lips pursed a little.  What was he thinking? I  considered asking Edward, but I didn’t want to intrude on Demetri’s thoughts. Maybe I didn’t want to know.

In the living room, Jasper and Emmett  barely glanced up from their video game when we entered the room, though Emmett had a smirk on his face that I knew would not bode well for me later. Jasper used his moment of distraction to take out Emmett’s character. The huge vampire grumbled under his breath as  I  took my seat at the end of the couch and pulled a blanket over my  thighs.  Demetri sat at my feet, his hand resting on my ankle, almost possessive ly. 

C arlisle met my eyes with a smile,  then turned his attention to Demetri. “Do you have any questions?”

“How much time  until the baby is born ?” Demetri asked.

“About five and a half days  I’d say , if we’re to base our measurements off of Bella and Ness,”  Carlisle did a quick calculation in his head. “ We will perform the operation before I leave for work  first thing Friday morning .”

Five and a half days. In five and a half days I would have a little person to take care of, a very unique and fast growing little person. This baby would be all mine and Demetri’ s, a perfect blend of the two of us, proof to anyone  in the know about the supernatural that I was as good as anyone else, if not better.  I would be the wolf girl and a mother, something no other woman could claim . 

“I think that’s all I can tell you for now.” Carlisle drew me from my thoughts. 

“ Five days,” Demetri murmured. “Then seven years until adulthood. So short a time, especially considering how long their lifespans are.  It seems almost unfair that their childhoods are cut so short . ”  He flashed a smile at me. “I suppose that means we’ll just have to make every moment count.”

“ Demetri,  would  bringing human blood  into the room  bother you?”  Rosalie asked from the  kitchen.

“It’s not fresh, cold, and smells strongly of plastic.  I’ll be fine.” 

“ If you’re sure.” 

High heels clicked on the floor, then Rosalie stepped warily into the room.

As if to prove his point, Demetri inhaled and then exhaled. His eyes did flicker to the cup  once, but he remained by my side and his grip on my hand never wavered. 

I wrinkled my nose as Rosalie handed me the cup. 

“ You’re going to name your daughter after me?”  Rosalie asked softly,  covering her mouth with her hand, as though she would cry if she could . “ She’s going to have a part of me?  Why would you do that? I mean nothing to you. ”

Demetri replied,  “It was obvious from the moment I walked  through the door that you were her fiercest defender besides her pack and, if my nose is anything to go by, the one she’s the most comfortable with.”  The way  he said it, he made it sound as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It seemed only right that this child have a connection to the woman who has done so much for her.”

“Thank you. Both of you.” She leaned over, squeezing my shoulder, then glanced at Demetri and nodded with a quick smile.

“If my daughter takes after anyone besides Leah, I hope that it’s you.”

“That means more to me than you know,” she whispered, tears she would never be able to shed in her eyes. Blinking hard, she regained her composure before saying to me, “Esme made beef stew. Once you’re finished with that, she’ll bring a bowl out to you.” 

“ Sounds good. Better than what I’m currently ingesting anyway. ” Even as I spoke, I put the straw between my lips. The wolf in me still wanted to gag, wanted to revolt against this unnatural act,  disgusted by  how sweet the blood tasted or how good it smelled.  As terrible as I found this, m y child needed  it , so I fought my instincts. 

She sat down beside Emmett and smiled at me  again . Emmett wrapped one arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple .

“ This is so gross. ”  I sucked down another mouthful. 

“ Others might disagree,” Demetri  said, his tone teasing .

“ Blech.”

“ Drink up, sweetheart.”

H aving my imprint telling me to drink blood silenced the wolf. This was what he wanted  me to do , so I couldn’t fight it anymore and I lifted the straw back to my lips. 

Demetri hooked my hair behind my ear ,  his eyes on my face as he puzzled something out.  Then his mouth thinned as if he’d realized something he didn’t like.

My heart leaped in my chest  as his cold fingers brushed my skin and I unconsciously turned towards it, trying to prolong the contact .  I craved his touch, needed it. Every  c ell in my body hungered for his affection. 

T he way his eyes flickered over my face, he caught the twitch, and he  pressed the back of his fingers to my cheek  with his free han d , his expression gentle.

“I’d, um, I’d better finish this.” I held up the cup. 

“Yes, you  should .”  His hand rested on my stomach for a moment, much to my surprise he  leaned over me and  pressed a kiss to my forehead.

I looked at him, startled.

He caught a lock of hair between his fingers as he spoke, “Now, I would really like to kill whoever broke you.”

“Why do you care?” I whispered. 

“ I’m not sure exactly how I feel about you, only that I am  growing increasingly  fond of you and the fact that you’re  petrified to accept that,  i t makes me angry.”  He took the cup from my hand and set it on the end table nearest to him. “ I think it’s time for  you  to get  some wolf approved food.” 

“That sounds good.”  I felt a little lightheaded at his words and couldn’t fight the smile. There was hope for me after all! Maybe things could work out! 

“You have a lovely smile, but I get the feeling only a select few see it.”  He studied me for a moment before speaking again. “ It’s like the sun breaking through the clouds in this rain drenched town, so infrequent and treasured all the more for how rarely it is seen.”

Esme entered the room just then, breaking the spell that had woven itself around us. “Here you are.” She set the dish on the end table. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“ Water with lemon, if you could. ”  I needed to get the taste blood out of my mouth before it drove me mad. Demetri wanted me to drink  blood  for the baby’s sake , not to enjoy it, so now the flavor of it on the back of my tongue was was all I could think of  and I wanted it washed out.

“Coming right up.”  She breezed away, only to return about twenty seconds later with the requested drink.

From the kitchen, I could hear the boys as they ate. 

“Hey, Quil, babysitting over for the night?” I teased before lifting another spoonful to my lips. The stew was thick and meaty, the perfect meal to feed to wolves with ravenous appetites. 

“Yeah. Oh, Emily asked about you.”

I chewed, then swallowed before asking, “Did she say why?” I took a sip of water, welcoming the coolness rinsing away the last of the blood.

“You haven’t been seen around the rez in about a week and we aren’t giving them any information other than that you’re at the Cullens, which everyone believes you hate, and that you’re alright, but you’re not up for visitors.”

“What did you tell her this time?” 

“I told her that your personal business wasn’t pack business so it wasn’t any of _her_ business.”

“Why can’t she just let you go?” Rosalie asked. “Is she really feeling so guilty that she can’t leave well enough alone?”

“I think she wants things to be the way that they were,” I said.

“And she can’t accept that what’s happened can’t be undone, no matter how hard she tries.” Rosalie frowned. 

“I don’t know, Quil. Imprinting on a leech seems pretty important,” Embry snickered as he spoke, trying to turn the subject into a more lighthearted direction. “Can you imagine how Sam would react?”

“He’d blow a gasket,” I muttered before taking another bite.

“Nah, nah, he wouldn’t just blow a gasket. His whole engine would explode!” Embry mimicked said explosion and the boys dissolved into laughter. Ness joined in, her tinkling soprano rising above the wolves’ bass.

“If there’s anything I can do to help that happen, just ask,” Rosalie smiled winningly. 

“We’ll let you know,” Seth said.

“Maybe with a vampire imprint, the girls will stop being so mean to Leah,” Ness said after a moment. 

“They’d be scared shi-” Embry started, but a loud smack stopped him.

“No cussing in front of Ness,” Jake admonished. He must have been the one to hit Embry.

Demetri laughed softly. “Your pack is very protective of you. When I first arrived, your Alpha told me that he wanted to take off my head and shove it up my ass.” He rubbed his thumb against the back of my ankle gently before continuing. “At first, I believed it was a bit of an over reaction, but now that I know the truth, I’m thinking he was actually holding himself back.”

I swallowed the bite I’d just taken and replied, “It’s against our laws to harm an imprint. Because of the pack mind we can feel each others’ pain and our imprints are our whole world.”

“So, I’m safe?”

I nodded.

“Convenient.”

“You and you alone, that protection doesn’t apply to the other members of your coven. Though I wouldn’t recommend hunting in the area. I’m not sure how they’d respond to you helping yourself to the neighbors.”

“ We  won’t kill you, but we would  take off your limbs for a while,” Jake said. It was obvious that they’d been listening to our conversation.

“I’d like to see you try.” Demetri narrowed his eyes in their general direction before turning his attention back to me. “Perhaps after you’ve finished eating we could take a walk.” 

“I can’t go very far.” I rubbed my stomach.

“I was thinking just outside in the yard, in full view of the house.” 

“I think I can handle that.” I couldn’t fight the smile as I started eating more quickly.

“Good. I don’t want to do anything to risk you or our child.” His voice wrapped lovingly around the words ‘our child,’ as though he could caress the baby through speech alone.

In no time at all, my bowl was empty and I set it on the end table next to me.

“Do you need shoes or a jacket?” he asked as he helped me to my feet.

“I’ll be fine.” I waved him to follow me out towards the river. 

“Call us if you need anything,” Rosalie said as the door shut behind us.

We were silent as we walked, until we were out of earshot of even the sharpest ears, though not out of range of Edwards’ mind reading if he was at his cottage. 

“Do you truly believe that we could work? I need you to be honest with me, I’m begging you,” Demetri pleaded.

“You’re the one fate decided I should be with; I’m going to have to make it work.”

His brows pulled together. “It sounds so _abusive_ ,” his face twisted. “You give up everything to please me; whatever I want, no matter what, you bend to my will. Don’t think I didn’t notice how you struggled with the blood, but became compliant once I told you to drink it.” 

“ We don’t belong to ourselves once we imprint.”

“That doesn’t seem fair.”

“I don’t mind. As long as you’re happy, so am I.”

“That seems like a good way for you to be hurt, to be used and twisted into a shadow of who you once were.” 

“The only thing that can hurt me right now is you. If you leave me, that would do more damage than anything I’ve been through already.” I caught a flicker across his face and suddenly,  his questions made sense.  “ That’s what you’re afraid of, isn’t it?”  Hearing that he was worried about  what happened to me , I gave in to the temptation to hope and it bloomed within my soul, flooding me with light and warmth. “ You’re afraid of doing more damage.”

He pursed his lips. “I’m a vampire. I’m selfish and cruel by nature. To see your smile disappear completely, and knowing it was because of me, I don’t want that.”

I stopped walking and wrapped my hand around the back of his neck as I faced him. He looked down at me, his ruby eyes filled with apprehension. Slowly, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. His arms came around me, drawing me closer to him and I dug my fingers into his jacket.

Cradling my cheek with one hand, he whispered, “I want you to have a mind of your own, to be a partner and an equal.”

As he spoke, I felt my own will returning to me. I was still bound to him, but he was allowing me my own thoughts, a freedom no imprinted wolf I’d encountered ever experienced. That servile devotion I’d been feeling disappeared and I was myself once more, aside from the deep, all consuming love I felt for Demetri. 

“Can you do that? Can you stand up to me when you disagree?”

“If it’s what you want, then yes.” I pressed my face deeper against him and closed my eyes. Sandalwood and snow filled my nose as a peace I’d never witnessed in any of my imprinted pack mates washed over me. 

Demetri caught my attention by speaking again, “I want you to be your own person. No, I need you to be your own person.” 

I leaned back, looking him in the eyes. “I have to warn you though, now that you’ve given me my head, I won’t be the easiest person to get along with.”

He smiled softly as he ran his thumb along my jaw, looking into my eyes. “It’s easier to tame a shrew than to love a slave.”

“If you really were as cruel and selfish as you claim, you wouldn’t care about what I want.” I wondered if this was the true nature of the imprint, for a wolf to find a person they could devote themselves to and for their imprint to see that devotion, but allow them their own wills. In nature, wolves mated for life. They were equally loyal to each other, not in an out of balance relationship that the shapeshifters seemed to be forced to endure... except for me. The other wolves believed themselves to be happy in their imprints, but they were unable to love as fully as they could because of the chains their imprints kept them bound by. The imprints were afraid, afraid that if they let the wolves go, that they would run.

“Mind your tongue. I’m very cruel,” Demetri teased.

I couldn’t fight the small laugh as I laid my head against his shoulder once more. “Keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you’ll believe it.”

“Perhaps it’s just that you’re an exception to the rule because I’ve never cared before.” He kissed the side of my head as he pressed his face against my hair, inhaling deeply. 

I felt a tear trickle from my eye, but there was no pain, only joy, like I’d never experienced in any way ever before. 

“We came out here for a walk,” Demetri said as he pulled away from the hug. “I can’t imagine you’ve done much of that since the baby made her presence known.”

“Not  really ,” I admitted. “ I haven’t done much more than go from my bedroom to the living room.”

“Come on then. I’ d like to get to know you better.” He tucked my hand in the crook of his elbow. 

 

For about an hour we talked. Well, I talked while he asked questions. He seemed so fascinated by every aspect of my life, no matter how inconsequential.  No one had ever paid that much attention to me, at least not that I could remember.

“So that’s the Emily Quil  spoke of earlier,” he murmured when I  finally finished talking . “ She and Sam both sound like cowards to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“If they felt no guilt or shame over their actions, they would have come clean immediately instead of  waiting so long that you  found out on your own.” He glanced over at me, his brows furrowed. “To me, that reeks of cowardice.”

“I never thought about it like that.”

“I also think the reason Sam didn't imprint on you is because you’re too strong for him. He would break under the force of your will. So he got the more pliable cousin instead.” He caressed my fingers gently. “But as I’ve never met them so I  can’t say for certain.”

I didn’t want to talk about Sam or Emily anymore, so I asked, “What about you? What’s your story?”

“It’s nothing special. I born a little over a thousand years ago to a poor family from a fishing town in Greece. Amun found me after I’d taken to street performing to keep my younger siblings fed. I stayed with him in Egypt for a while, then was recruited by the Volturi about a hundred and fifty years into my vampire life where I’ve been ever since.”

“Wow. A thousand years summed up just like that.”

Demetri laughed. “You’ll have to be more specific in your questions if you want to know more.”


	9. Chapter 9

When I woke the next morning, I laid there for a moment, unable to believe that yesterday had really happened. But the proof filled my nose with sandalwood and snow while his icy body pressed up against my back. 

“Good morning,” Demetri murmured against my hair. 

“‘M still asleep.”  I pulled the blanket over my head and nestled deeper against his side .  I wasn’t ready to leave this cocoon  where I was completely safe and possibly loved.

“I’ll just have to wake you up.” The teasing in his voice had me on high alert, but I still wasn’ t prepared when he started tickling me. 

“Alright! Enough! I’m awake!” I shrieked as I twisted away from his hands.  Haylla kicked excitedly beneath my heart and I placed my hand on the top of my bump.

“ Haylla is awake too, isn’t she?” Demetri kissed my neck, before moving down to my stomach. “Good morning, princess.”

H aylla twisted softly, trying to get closer to him.

“ S he likes the sound of your voice.” I brushed my knuckles against  Demetri’s cheek. 

“ I think s he’s even stronger than she was last night.” He laughed  as Haylla flipped again.  Pressing his cheek against my stomach, he looked up at me, his ruby eyes twinkling.  “ I think our daughter  is anxious to meet us.”

“ She’ll just have to be patient. She still has to wait five more days.”

“ Leah! Breakfast  will be ready  in about twenty minutes !”  Rosalie called.

“I  need take a shower.”  I tugged on his hair and he rolled off of me, allowing me to sit up.  He lay on his back, his arm over his eyes, the sheets pulling around his hips, leaving his shirtless torso bare. I wanted to stay there just to stare at him, but I wasn’t going to allow myself to become a pathetic love struck girl. I was a wolf and soon to be mother,  second in command under the true chief of our people. Behaving like a fool had to be on the list of things that should be beneath me.

“I might join you in a bit.” 

He didn’t move though, so I left him there. Grabbing a pair of leggings and an over sized t-shirt, I headed for the other room. 

In the bathroom, I turned the shower on and brushed my teeth while I waited for it to heat up. My reflection was almost a stranger to me. Who was this girl with the shining eyes and a smile playing at the corners of her lips? I hadn’t seen my face looking anywhere close to this in so long, it would take some time to get used to. 

Once the water was steaming, I stepped under the stream and tilted my face up. One nice thing about crashing at the Cullens was that the hot water tank was huge so I could take a long shower with just hot water and not have to worry about it running out for a while.

Cold arms wrapping around my torso caused me to squeal in surprise and I spun around. Demetri grinned down at me before pressing his lips softly against mine. He kissed down my throat, sucking lightly at my pulse point before whispering so softly I doubted anyone else could hear him. “I want you.”  He crowded me against the shower wall. “ I ache for you.”

Water trickled down his perfect body in rivulets, plastering his hair to his face and neck, which he brushed out of his eyes. A droplet formed on his lower lip, begging me to taste it. So I stood up on my tiptoes and flicked my tongue out, catching the bead of water before it fell and he exhaled heavily, his cool breath washing over my face in sharp contrast to the heat surrounding us.

“I’m yours,” my lips barely moved around the words. Inhaling his scent, made stronger by the steam, I wrapped my hand around the back of his head and tugged him down to kiss me again as I slid one leg up his side. Demetri growled, slipping his arm around me, holding me as close to him as our baby would allow us to me. He moved his lips against mine, deepening the kiss with every move. When he slid his tongue between my lips, I sucked on it, hard and he moaned deep in the back of his throat. 

O ne hand slid down my side, cupping my bottom, then slapped it lightly.

P ulling away from his lips, I ran my hands  over his body, marveling at the way his skin stole the heat from the water and from me, but felt  little warmer, as I traced the lines of his muscles. Leaning forward, I kissed his chest, right over his silent heart.  There was just a hint of him in the water, a subtle spice that water rarely carried.

He cradled my cheek in his palm before pressing soft kisses to my lips. I tangled my fingers in his wet hair as I tugged him closer and scraped my fingers against his scalp, causing him to sigh. As much as I wanted this to last, it had been far too long since my imprint had laid claim to me this way, that I could wait no longer for him. Bringing my other hand up, I cupped his face, enjoying the feel of his icy stone against my hot skin.

“ After our child is born, I will make love to you properly.” He barely breathed the words against my chin.  Pressing his lips to my palm for a split second, he continued, “I will kiss and caress every inch of your body  for hours until you’re out of your mind with pleasure .” One hand found my breasts and he rolled a nipple between his long fingers  and I tried to arch, but a firm hand on my hip held me still. 

His words brought to mind the last time we’d had sex,  right before I’d fallen asleep.  He’d tormented me for so long, I screamed in frustration at one point  when he’d stopped me from trying to make myself climax , which  had  only made him laugh. 

“ I see you remember exactly what I can do to you.”  Hooking  my leg  higher  around his hip, he angled my body carefully so that he could take me without harming the baby. “But god,  seeing you r belly swollen with my child. You make me desperate. I need you. Now.”  With a quick  snap of his hips , he was inside me,  muffling my cry with a hard kiss.

I  wrapped my arms around his neck, holding myself as close to him as I could,  then clawed against his marble back when he withdrew, then thrust into me again.  Over and over again, changing the rhythm, leaving me breathless, unable to time his thrusts, only wait for him to decide.  My head fell back as the pleasure swelled. All I wanted to do was lose myself to this, but he stopped moving.

“Look at me,” he whispered. “Leah, look at me.”

Unable to resist him, I met his scarlet gaze while one of his hands slid between our bodies, to find that bundle of nerves. My eyes rolled back into my head and he went still again. I whined, trying to grind against him.

“Look at me,” he repeated. “If you disobey me, I stop.” To emphasis his point, he withdrew most of the way and stopped, then grabbed my hips to keep me from finding relief.

“Bastard,” I whimpered, but complied with his order, looking into his ruby eyes.

He grinned as resumed his thrusting. “Put your hands behind your head and keep them there.”

“What?”

“Do as I say or I stop,” he reminded me.

So that was how he wanted to play. I bit his lower lip as I complied,  drawing a groan from him.  He slapped m e in retaliation, not so hard to hurt, but just hard enough to sting in a way that heightened my pleasure  and I keened against his mouth.

“Good girl,”  he said as soon as I freed his lip.

Not being able to touch him made me want to all the more, but I didn’t dare disobey because I knew he would carry through with his threat and I couldn’t afford to have him stop now. If he did stop, I thought I might cry in frustration. His smile widened as if he knew exactly what he was doing to me. 

“Please!” I begged, writhing in his arms. “Oh, god, please!” That coil in my belly tightened and my back bowed, drawing me even closer my lover. I wanted to throw my head back, but I was afraid he might stop and I was so close.

“ My name,” he hissed. “Say it.”

“Oh, Demetri, please.”

“That’s it, my darling, let go. Let go,” he breathed raggedly.

R elease washed over me and I shuddered in his arms as  stars exploded behind my eyelids.  I may have cried out, I couldn’t be sure though because the roaring in my ears deafened me to everything save my own heartbeat.

When I finally caught my breath, I looked up at him, unable to fight the smile, which he returned with a soft kiss against my lips. I slumped against him, unable to bear my own weight.  Haylla kicked, hard, most likely irritated at us for jostling her so much  and I rubbed my belly, trying to calm her down.

Without saying a word, he picked up the shampoo bottle and poured some into his palm. 

“We probably shouldn’t do that again until Haylla is born.”  I winced as a particularly hard kick hit my ribs.

“Yes, it would be rather awkward for her first real memory to be of her parents making love,” he chuckled as he massaged the soap into my hair. “As it is, she’ll probably have a vague impression of something happening, but she’ll never know for certain unless she asks.”

“ That and h er kicks are starting to hurt.”  I closed my eyes, enjoying his hands against my scalp.  His long fingers applied just the right amount of pressure and I sighed.

“We can’t have you in pain, now can we?” He tilted my head back so that my hair was under the shower spray. 

“ I can  wash my own hair , you know.” 

“I know.” He squeezed a good amount of conditioner into his hand and ran it through my hair, paying special attention to the ends. “But you’re not telling me to stop.” 

“I don’t want you to,” I replied. Something about him taking care of me like this felt more intimate than any sex. His hands on my body without the intention of copulation, it made my heart ache, but it was a sweet pain, the kind I wanted to experience over and over again.

Demetri grabbed the sponge and squeezed  some body wash onto it. With a quick kiss to my lips, he started rubbing the soap into my skin,  starting with my shoulders and working in slow circles around my back before coming back around to work on my chest.

“ Behave yourself, Haylla,” he murmured to our  baby .  A mischievous smile spread across his face and he looked up at me . “You’re hurting your mother and that’s not acceptable. So if you would be so kind as to try not to use her internal organs as punching bags, I’m sure she would be grateful.”

“You’re so silly,” I laughed when he kissed my bump. The way he was behaving, if it wasn’t for his eyes and skin, I might have thought he was a human man, rather than a vampire, as he bonded with his unborn daughter. But I didn’t find the thought as appealing as some might wish me to. My imprint was a vampire and I couldn’t wish him to be anything other than the species that had enabled him to endure the centuries separating our births.

“Hmm, and yet, you’re  still not stopping me.”  He lifted one of my feet in his hand before running the sponge over my calf, and kissing me there once the soap was washed away. “The fact is, I think you ’re enjoying it.”

I tried to fight a smile, but failed. It did feel good to have  one of the most feared vampire s in the world kneeling at my feet, taking care of me,  behaving like a man with his lover . Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back against the shower wall,  enjoying his hands massaging my body. 

Several minutes passed before I felt Demetri stand up and I opened my eyes. He kissed me again before turning the water off.

“I think it’s time for you to eat,” he said softly as he took my hand and stepped out of the shower, taking me with him. After what had just happened, I wasn’t in any hurry to deny him much of anything and I followed him on near boneless legs.

“I suppose so.” My stomach growled loudly as if to prove his point and he grinned as he picked up a fluffy towel, which he proceeded to run it up my legs, catching every bit of water running down them.

Since Demetri didn’t seem to be in a hurry to let me do anything for myself, I braced my hands on the counter and allowed him to have his way. His long fingers dug into my muscles, massaging away the tightness there. It felt amazing, so why bother stopping him? After he’d removed every stray drop of water from my skin, he smoothed a mild smelling lotion into my skin, paying particular attention to the bump where our daughter grew.

“You might want to be careful,” I whispered as I ran my fingers through his still dripping hair.

“Why?” he asked as he straightened and grabbed a second towel, which he ran over his body quickly before rubbing his hair, taking most of the water away, but leaving the black strands slightly damp. The two used towels, he tossed into the hamper.

“Because I could get used to all of that very quickly.” I pointed to the shower.

“That was the plan.” He tapped the end of my nose before pulling picking up a small jar with what looked like Italian writing on the side. “And you called me silly.” He opened the jar, took out a small bit, and ran it through his locks.

“You take more time with your looks than I do,” I snickered. 

“Hmm.” He raked his fingers through his hair one last time, making sure everything was perfectly in place, before turning away from the mirror. “My vanity is the only constant through both my human life and my vampire one, so I hold onto it with both hands.”

After helping me into a large t-shirt and leggings, he pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a dress shirt, leaving the top four buttons undone to expose his crest necklace underneath.

“Any chance no one heard us?” I asked Demetri as we headed out the door.

“Nope,” Emmett said from somewhere below us. “We heard you, loud and clear.”

Demetri had a better idea of what I was trying to ask, because he replied, “Your pack left just after you went to sleep and have yet to return.”

“Good. I should have thought to ask about that beforehand.” 

“Because of Seth?”

“Yep.” My poor kid brother. He’d seen enough of my relationship with Sam to scar him for life, he didn’t need to witness things with Demetri first hand if we could avoid it.


	10. Chapter 10

Emmett snickered when he saw us coming down the stairs, “Did you break anything?” 

“Not everyone feels the need to destroy houses to prove themselves when they have sex,” I replied. 

Demetri laughed and Emmett’s mouth opened and closed a few times.

“You know you chased off Bella, Edward, and Ness, right?” Emmett said finally.

“Good. She’s a little young to know how she came into existence.”

Rosalie’s giggles echoed from somewhere overhead. “She’s not Bella, Emmett. She’ll probably give as good as she gets.” 

Emmett pouted before dashing up the stairs to be with his mate.

I settled into my usual spot on the couch, except my feet were now resting in Demetri’s lap. 

Haylla shifted and it felt like she was exploring my stomach near my navel, reaching her hand out, testing her surroundings. I pressed back as best I could, and she began following my movements in her own limited way.

Esme handed me a plate of scrambled eggs, with several slices of bacon, seasoned hash browns, and a bowl of blueberries along with a glass of what smelled like fresh squeezed orange juice. To this, Rosalie added a cup of blood.

“One nice thing about being pregnant is that I get five star service,” I remarked as I dug into the fluffy eggs. 

“You’d get five star service from me anyway,” Esme said with a smile. “I’ve always enjoyed being in the kitchen, but have had no excuse to cook regularly until recently, so I’ve got decades of catching up to do.”

The whole time I ate, I contemplated Esme. It still unnerved me how unvampirelike she was. From her soft features, so unlike the angular faces everyone else possessed, to her gentle voice that had the distinctive ring muted, she could have been the friendly teacher that all the children liked, or the foster mother no one wanted to leave. Maybe this was the real problem I’d had with her during Bella’s pregnancy, that as much as I wanted to hate her for being what she was, she didn’t fit the mold we’d all assigned vampires in our heads. 

Once my plate was clean, I set it on the coffee table and leaned my head against the back of the couch. Haylla twisted and my hands moved to my stomach almost of their own accord, cradling my unborn baby.

Demetri pulled out a sketchbook from his back pocket and flipped through it. Finding an empty page, his pencil started to move across the paper. After a few minutes, his brows pulled together and he paused what he was doing for a moment to look at me out of the corner of his eye, then returned back to his work. 

A beam of sunlight cut through the clouds, illuminating his face, giving him the appearance of an otherworldly creature. Beams of light refracted out from his skin, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe, I was so caught up in how beautiful he looked. Even with his red eyes, he looked like a being straight from mythology.

With the sun reflecting from him like so many prisms, I could understand why humans of ages past might think that vampires were gods. What else could they be with their shining skin, perfect features, and ringing tones, but beings from on high. 

He caught me staring and his cheek went up like he was grinning. “What are you thinking about?”

“That demons aren’t supposed to be so beautiful.”

“And here I was thinking the same thing about a certain wolf girl.”

“I’m not the one ancient humans would have thought was an angel. They’d take one look at me in my wolf form and scream, ‘Monster.’”

“A fierce young woman who becomes a wolf to save her people? That could be a story from anywhere. If your people were smart, they would include you in their legends.”

I snorted in disbelief. They couldn’t even remember the Third Wife’s name. Why the hell would they want to remember the freak wolf girl who got herself knocked up by a vampire?

“You’ll see. One day, you’ll live long enough to see yourself as you truly are.”

Finally, cloud cover broke the spell and he was simply Demetri once more.

 

“What are you drawing?” I asked after about half an hour of watching him work in silence.

He flipped to the first page and turned it around so that I could see it. In the top corner was a pair of eyes, my eyes, as they must have looked the first time he saw me. Next to it, there were several bars of music. Beneath it, was what looked his hand pushing one of mine into the snow, our fingers links. That too was accompanied by music. In the bottom corner, there was a sketch of the side of my face, with snow in my hair. Another bit of music arched over this and to the side, he’d written something in an elegant script. 

I tilted my head to read it. _Her eyes could make armies fall to their knees, begging for mercy. In her hands, she could hold the fate of thousands. With snow as her only covering, how could she be anything other than a goddess?_

“Is that whole book about me?” The fact that he’d called me a goddess during those weeks he was away from me sent a warm glow through me and I allowed myself a small smile. 

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“The first time I laid eyes on you, you captivated me in such a way, I wanted to try to capture it in music. However, any attempt to compose sounds muddled unless I draw beforehand because you overwhelm me. So, each sketch helps me focus on what I wish to convey.” He gave an almost embarrassed smile as he spoke. “From the moment I left here three weeks ago, I used all my free time to try to make sense of how I felt, to understand why you entranced me so.” He set the book on the coffee table and placed his pencil across it. Resting his arm across the back of the couch, he looked at me, his lips twisting into a playful smile. “For all my years, all my experience, I felt like how a schoolboy must feel when dealing with his first crush after meeting you and I responded accordingly.”

“What else did you do besides write music?” I asked. I wanted to know just how the imprint had affected him. Even though I was happy now and he’d accepted the imprint, I needed to know that I hadn’t been alone in my suffering those weeks I spent without him. 

“I moped, dramatically.”

“How the hell do you mope dramatically?” The first image that came to mind was of Demetri in a feathered nightgown lying on a fainting couch with a jar of smelling salts and I snickered at the thought. I’d clearly spent too much time watching black and white movies with my mother.

“Whatever it is you’re imagining, I can assure you it was nothing like that.” His eyes crinkled at the corners as if he could read my mind. 

“What did you do?”

“I would go up to the roof at night and stare at the sky, thinking about how the stars looked like snow against your hair. During the day, when I wasn’t doing whatever it is I was supposed to do or messing with that book, I would sit in front of the fire in my quarters and just stare at the flames, remembering how it felt to be in your arms.” He grabbed my ankle and pulling on it making my lie down, then shifting me a little to the side so that he could stretch out beside me. Putting his arm under my head, he stared down at me, his scarlet eyes wide. “I’d given up hope centuries ago that I would ever find a mate, then I found one in the place I least expected it.”

I reached up and traced his lower lip with the tip of my pointer finger. 

“Now, I find that I am entirely, hopelessly, happily in love with you,” he breathed as he pressed his lips against my cheeks, my forehead, the tip of my nose, before finally kissing my lips. It wasn’t the kind of kiss that would go anywhere inappropriate considering our location, but it still left me breathless.

I leaned back, unable to keep the smile off my face as my heart squeezed in a sweet pain. “You already know how I feel.” I cupped his chilled stone cheek in my hand. “Imprinting may have initiated this connection with you, but what I feel now, it’s all mine.”

Demetri placed his hand on my rounded stomach, “A month ago, lonely as I was, I thought I was complete in myself. But now, I have a mate and a baby on the way.” 

“You don’t have to be alone like that ever again.”

He lifted my hand to his face and kissed my palm while I curled my fingers around his jaw, tracing my thumb along the shape of the bone, marveling at the way we seemed to fit together. My muscled, yet feminine frame verses his hard, lean stone body, two opposites, coming together to make a perfect whole. Fire and ice, like those photographs I’d seen of volcanoes surrounded by snow, neither one of the other, yet somehow they blended together seamlessly.

This moment right here, this was perfection. There was no guilt, no shame in lying in his arms. I left no broken hearts behind me and I did not have to bow to his will if I didn’t want to. We were both here because this was where we wanted to be. This was where we both belonged. 

The other couch creaked as someone sat on the end closest to us and we both looked up. I was surprised to see Jasper sitting there, almost awkwardly.

“Sorry. It’s difficult to resist a good emotional climate and the two of you, it’s deeper, purer than anything I’ve ever felt from any couple before.” He tugged his pants so that they were looser around his thigh. “It’s like the way Alice feels for me.”

“She knew she was destined for you, yes?” Demetri asked. 

“Yes.”

“But she allowed you to choose for yourself if she was who you wanted to be with.”

“Yeah.” Understanding washed over Jasper’s face. “She loved me before she ever met me, like Leah, who felt this connection to you before she knew your name. And both of them let us take the path we wanted.”

“Perhaps those who are brought together by destiny, but let the other person decide for themselves, are more content. Because though their souls match, they were allowed to walk away if they wanted to, but they chose to stay.” He looked down at me at he spoke, then pressed a kiss to my cheek. “There is something intoxicating in knowing that you hold the keys to someone’s happiness.”

Alice danced into the room, holding a laptop under one arm. She curled up in Jasper’s lap and opened it up. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin against the top of her head.

“All of you are so sweet, it’s nauseating,” Emmett remarked as he flipped on the TV. “I’d have thought that at least Demetri, being a bad ass Volturi warrior and all that, we’d get something else. But no, he’s just like everyone else.”

“We are all fools in love, Emmett,” Demetri said, not sounding embarrassed at all by his apparently recent change in behavior. 

Edward walked through the back door, followed by Ness.

“Jake’ll be here soon,” she said excitedly. “He’s probably getting ready to leave right now.”

Just then, the phone rang and Esme answered it.

“Leah, it’s for you.” She handed me the offending device and I stared at it for a moment. “It’s your mother.”

I swallowed sharply and sat up before I took the phone from her hand. “Hello?”

“Hi, Leah. I was wondering if it would be alright for me to come over with your pack?” She sounded so hesitant, so desperate, it made me worried. “It’ll just be me. There are some things I need to say and they’re best said face to face.”

I thought about it for a moment. Jake wasn’t likely to let her near me if he thought she was going to cause trouble. Besides, she was my mother and I did miss her. “Just you. None of the other Council members or anyone else.”

“Alright.” She let out a breath as though she’d been afraid I would reject her request. “They’re leaving now so I’ll be there in a bit.”

“See you soon.” I pressed the end button and handed the phone back to Esme. 

My heart started racing and I squeezed my eyes shut. This was my mother. I shouldn’t be scared of her, and yet I was. I was terrified that she would reject me when she learned how my life had changed in the last month. She’d chosen duty over me before. How could I expect anything less now?

“You’re afraid,” Demetri murmured as he knelt down in front of me. 

“She may be my mother, but I don’t know her like I thought I did before I got dragged into the madness,” I whispered. My heart pounded as though it was about to beat out of my chest and I felt like I couldn’t draw a full breath. 

Demetri caught my hands in both of his, “I’ll be right here in the room with you and I don’t think your pack will go very far.” He kissed my knuckles and brushed my hair out of my eyes. “One word from you and I carry her outside.”

“Do you promise?”

Demetri grinned, “Cross my heart.” 

He stood up, preparing to move to the other couch, and I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his stomach, holding him there for a little longer as he stroked my hair tenderly. I dug my fingers into his shirt, inhaling his scent, sandalwood and snow, deeply. The cold stone of his skin soothed my fraught nerves and I sighed.

“Leah, you don’t have to do this.” Demetri lowered himself so that his face was even with mine once more. He caught my chin in his hand, tracing the shape of my lower lip with his thumb.

“I can’t keep running or hiding. I have to face them.” 

Rosalie entered the room and handed me another cup of ‘fruit punch. “Do you want us to stay?”

I thought about it for a moment before replying, “I think I’d better do this with just Demetri around. More than one vampire might be a little much.”

“Call us if you need anything,” she said as she dragged Emmett towards the stairs, though she seemed unhappy about leaving me, and the other vampires disappeared. Ness stayed, waiting for Jake, but I knew she too would leave as soon as he arrived. 

“I’ll make sure her mother behaves,” Demetri promised and Rosalie nodded. He remained in a crouch, one of my hands between both of his, tracing my veins over and over again.

Putting the straw between my lips, I chugged the cup Rosalie had brought me. I wasn’t ashamed of having to drink blood for the sake of Demetri’s baby, but I didn’t want my mother asking questions before I was ready to answer them. 

Demetri’s lips tightened just a little as if he knew why I was drinking so fast, but he said nothing.

It seemed only a moment before I heard Jake’s Rabbit pulling into the driveway. My heart skipped a beat and I swore that the temperature of the room dropped by a few degrees. 

“Leah, one word from you and I tell her to leave.” Of course he would notice my heartbeat. How could he not? It had been acting up from the moment I heard my mother say she wanted to see me.

I shook my head. My hands trembled, but I refused to give in to the fear. I needed to face this, to face my mother and possibly get answers to the questions I’d never dared to ask before. And maybe, if I was very lucky, we could start mending our relationship.

“So stubborn.”

Car doors opened and shut, followed by a murmur of voices just too low for me to understand. I pulled the blanket higher as I leaned my back against the arm of the couch and drew my knees up as far as I could, making sure that my pregnancy was concealed. Though I was carrying a little smaller than Bella had apparently, due to my muscle mass in comparison to hers, my stomach was still noticeably no longer the washboard my mother knew it to be. 

Demetri stood up, moving to the other couch as the front door opened, and my mother walked through.

“We’ll be in the kitchen,” Jake promised as he and the other members of my pack filed in behind her. Ness ran over to him and he swung her up onto his back.

Once everyone except for Demetri left the room, my mother stepped closer. She cast a nervous glance towards my imprint as she moved. He pretended to ignore us as he opened his book and began sketching lines on the paper.

“Are you-are you okay?” She looked at Demetri, then back to me.

“I’m fine. Better than fine really” I gestured to the cushion at my feet. “Take a seat; he won’t bite.”

Sue laughed shakily, but did as I said.

“What’d you want to talk about?”

She looked down at her hands for a long moment before lifting her wet eyes to mine and I stared in shock. My mother rarely cried, so whatever this was about, it had to be important.

“Your pack sat me down last night. What they had to say was difficult for me to hear, but I deserved it.” She wrung her hands, then continued, “I failed you, Leah. The last two years have been nothing but me failing you, again and again.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Some part of me wanted to defend her, but the wounds on my soul silenced the loyal daughter. And a tiny part of me was petty enough to be happy that she was in pain over the harm she’d done to me.

“When Sam treated you the way he did, I should have acted on my anger. I should have kept him away from the house, no matter what, even if it was serious pack business, for doing what he did. Even though I knew why, I should have let you know that I had your back.” She shook her head. “But I didn’t. Instead, I excused it by telling myself one that there was never just one wolf, that with your bloodline, surely one of the other boys would imprint on you, then you would understand and everything would be okay.”

Demetri whispered to softly for my mother’s human ears to detect, “Make her grovel for that, my darling.”

“How could you?” The words burst from me without my realizing they were even in my head, “Why didn’t you? I was your _daughter_ and as far as I knew, you took their side over mine! Yeah, sure imprinting is absolute, I know that now, but the way you and everyone who knew acted, it made me feel like what I wanted, what I _needed_ wasn’t important! That this stupid magic meant more to you than I did!” Haylla kicked hard in response to my yelling and I rubbed the side of my stomach trying to soothe her.

Demetri’s pencil stilled as he prepared to stand, but I tilted my head to stop him.

“I know. Jake made sure I knew just how much that hurt you.” She worried her lips between her teeth for a while, then she spoke again. “The worst failure wasn’t that though. It was refusing to see that you were going through the same changes that the other wolves were going through, the exact same things and not doing what I could to prepare you for what was coming. But tradition said that only the boys turned, never the daughters. So I couldn’t allow myself to put the pieces together.”

“How could you have missed it? Because a girl going from five foot five to five foot ten in less than two months, after she’s turned nineteen, is totally normal?” I spat. “And it’s so normal for said girl to pack on muscle without trying. Oh and we can’t forget my sudden anger issues. Throwing a hissy fit over a shirt being in the wash when I wanted to wear it wasn’t something I did until then. I punched a hole in the wall over it! That didn’t strike you as being a little bit much?”

“I convinced myself that it was a late growth spurt and that your temper was because you were still dealing with what happened with Sam.” She looked at me, guilt written across her face before lowering her gaze.

“Mom. It had been over a year. I was doing okay, better than okay really, at least until these things started.” I ran my hands through my hair. “Didn’t you stop to think about how I was feeling? My body was changing, I was angry all the time and I couldn’t understand why! I was terrified! I thought I was going crazy! The way everyone treated me, it made me feel even more like I was losing my mind and I was considering looking into professional help.”

“I know,” she admitted meekly. “I just couldn’t face the possibility of you turning and what that would bring. My mind wouldn’t go there. I was a coward and I took the coward’s way out.” She squeezed her eyes shut, then blinked hard a few times. “It didn’t help that no one checked the pack for their treatment of you once you’d turned. Billy said that you brought it on yourself when I said something, so I gave up, when I shouldn’t have.”

“No one said anything, not a single damn person, except for Sam and that was just because he knew he’d treated me like shit to begin with so he was trying to appease his conscience. No one seemed to care that I was being forced to share a head space with the bastard who betrayed me. How was I supposed to fight along side that? How was I supposed to trust him in battle if I knew just how capable he was of breaking that trust? It wasn’t until Jake started his little renegade pack and I joined him that anyone paid attention to what I was really feeling. Is it any wonder that I found it easier to accept what I was when I didn’t have to put up with that?”

Sue winced and wrung her hands. “Seth mentioned that. Embry also said something about you causing as much pain as you could in Sam’s pack because you hated it that everyone knew how badly Sam had wounded you.”

It hurt, sitting there and being reminded of everything I’d been through in the last two years. I found myself glancing at Demetri more and more. Every time I’d look at him, he’d meet my eye and give me a slight smile, encouraging me to see this through. His eyes were tight though, as if he was feeling my pain as his own.

“It was easier than letting them feel sorry for me, to let them see how vulnerable I was. If they hated me, they stayed away from me, ignored my thoughts as much as they could. Sharing the pack mind with so many people who were loyal to Sam was torture!” I fought back tears. 

“I’m so sorry, Leah.”

“You keep saying that,” I snapped. “As if it makes everything okay.”

“I’m not asking you to forgive me,” she whispered brokenly. “You hold a grudge better than anyone to expect that to happen any time soon, something you got from me, I think, which is only fitting for everyone involved.”

“What do you want?”

“A chance to prove myself. I don’t want to lose you, but this past week showed me just how easily you could cut me out of your life and your pack would go along with it if Seth or Jake felt it was in your best interest.” 

“Every person Leah trusted, with the exception of her brother, betrayed her in some form or fashion,” Demetri broke in. There was an underlying threat beneath his polite tone, a hint of the vampire so many feared showing through.. “ _All_ of you broke her. If it was up to me, I’d tell you to go to hell.”

Her face spasmed as his words cut her, but I didn’t stop him or try to soften what he’d said. She needed to know the full extent of what she and the others had done to me before I could even allow myself to consider forgiving her.

He stopped drawing and turned his full attention to my mother. “Your daughter is an amazing young woman who has been through enough. I won’t tolerate her enduring any more unnecessary pain. If she chooses to allow you back into her life, know that I will be watching you. One step out of line and you’ll never see her again.”

Sue looked from me to Demetri and back again, shocked. But I only gave him a small smile. 

It felt amazing to have him go to battle for me, to protect me like this. He knew I could handle my own fights, but he was willing to defend me when necessary. Another wound stopped bleeding and the pain lessened. 

In that moment, I realized something. This was how love and healing really worked. It was a process. It wasn’t supposed to be, ‘I imprinted, so I’m all better now because all of my emotional reserves are devoted to serving this person.’ The injuries still festered beneath the surface unless they were acknowledged and allowed to mend. Imprinting was to draw two people together, not be the ‘be all end all.’ 

Demetri held up his hand when my mother opened her mouth to protest. “Don’t look to her to stop me. I’ve only promised not to touch you, not that I wouldn’t speak when I thought she might cave to family loyalty. You’ll be allowed in her life on a probationary period only. Her wounds have only just begun to heal properly, so be careful.”

Sue nodded, then hung her head. “I’m only just now realizing just how much.”

“You allowed yourself to be blinded by how you thought things should be, so you failed to see just how unique Leah truly is.”

“Some part of me just wants to keep making excuses, to try to explain away my behavior and lessen my responsibility, but I can’t do it anymore.” She inhaled, fighting back tears once more. “That’s what brought us here in the first place.”

“I miss you, the way things were before all this,” I admitted, “and I wish we could go back to that, but I can’t just jump right back into this, just because it’s what I want. I can’t ignore how I feel any longer if I want to be happy.”

“And that’s my fault.”

“I love you, Mom, believe that, but it’ll take time.”

“If I may add something?” Demetri raised one black brow at my mother.

“Sure.”

“I think all of you allowed yourselves to become so wrapped up in the supernatural, you forgot the individual needs of those involved. Suddenly, the magic you’d heard about all your lives is real and glorious, but it’s so easy to forget about the price that so many pay for it to happen.”

“I’m so sorry, Leah,” she said again and looked at the blank TV screen, as if willing it to turn on and distract her. “Before you were born, someone told me that no matter how hard we try, we always do harm to our children. I was so sure I could prove them wrong, that I would be better. Yet, here you are, staying with someone who should be your natural enemy, trusting them to defend you against me. And even though you’re afraid right now, there’s something about you, you’re lighter, happier, than I’ve ever seen you.”

I dragged my lower lip between my teeth and glanced over at Demetri. He nodded, so I took a deep breath, preparing for the plunge. Would she still want to mend the fences if she knew about my imprinting and my baby?

“There’s something you need to know, about why I’m here at the Cullens, something that may change your mind about wanting anything to do with me.” 


	11. Chapter 11

Taking a deep breath, I continued, “Do you remember the day of the almost fight with the Volturi? I was out all night and when I did come home, I um, I locked myself in my room.”

“You wouldn’t talk to anyone and you cried for hours,” Sue said. “In your sleep too, I think. I’d never heard you cry like that, not even after Sam. There was always a bit of anger to that pain, but this, this was more than heartbreak. It was despair.”

Demetri balled his hands up as his jaw tightened and his brows pulled together.

“That day, well, I, um, I imprinted, but he left Washington with his coven.” 

Demetri took that as his cue and he was on his knees beside me. In the position I was in, it was easy for me to lean to one side and rest my head on his shoulder. He pressed his lips to my forehead and brushed his nose against my skin. I reached up and tangled my fingers in the hair on the back of his head while one of his hands rested above the bump where our daughter grew.

“You imprinted?” Sue’s mouth fell open and her eyes did their best impression of dinner plates. “On-on a vampire?” 

“Yes.” I exhaled. “What is supposed to be the happiest day of their lives for most wolves ended up almost destroying me because I thought he didn’t want me.” Speaking of the darkest time in my life caused my throat to close up and Demetri’s grip on me tightened.

“He’s a vampire!” Sue protested.

“You know we have no choice in who it happens with!”

I heard chairs scrape in the kitchen as my pack got up from the table and footsteps hurried towards us.

“I think now’s the time where I interrupt and admit that I knew she imprinted on a vampire. I felt it happen.” Jake placed his hands on his hips and met Sue’s gaze. This wasn’t teenager Jake speaking now. This was Chief Jacob William Black, heir to Ephraim Black, and true Alpha to the Quileute wolves. “I may have failed her as a pack mate, but I won’t fail her as her Alpha and I will support her in this. She’s your daughter and this is her life. It may not what you or anyone thought it was going to be, but it’s her reality.”

“How-?”

Jake cut her off, not to be rude, but to head off any possible arguments she might have. “If you can accept Sam after what he did to your own daughter, it wouldn’t be right for you not to accept her imprinting. She didn’t choose to imprint on a vampire, but Demetri was who Fate wanted for her. I imprinted on Ness and she’s half vampire so I really don’t see much of a difference except maybe that Demetri has taken human life. As long as he doesn’t hunt in the area, I won’t say shit because his hunting habits are between him and Leah.”

By the end of Jake’s speech, Sue had visibly deflated, though tension still lined her face. 

Demetri leaned back on his heels, settling for keeping one of my hands trapped between both of his. 

“We all support her,” Quil said from where he stood in the doorway, flanked by the remaining members of my pack. In my hiatus, Quil had taken up the mantle of Alpha’s second, with Embry acting as the third. “An imprint is an imprint, no matter how strange. If anyone should understand that, it’s me.”

“It’s weird as hell, especially with him hunting humans,” Embry added, “but we stand with her.”

“Mom. I’ve never seen her so happy, or at peace with herself and her life until Demetri came back,” Seth pleaded with our mother to understand.

Haylla shifted, pressing down on my spine and when I shifted to alleviate some of the pressure, the blanket slipped down, exposing my pregnant belly. There was no way she missed how the hybrid’s rock hard amniotic sac pushed on my abs. I winced when Haylla punched a rib and Demetri placed his hand on my stomach, trying to help me calm her.

“Leah!” Sue leaned back and her heart jumped as she moved to stand up. “You-you’re- oh my God!”

“Leah never did anything half way,” Embry said as he and Quil sprawled across the floor in front of the TV. They flipped through the channels before settling on some sci-fi action movie, but kept the volume low so not to disturb my mother.

Seth and Jake remained standing, focused on Sue. Whatever she saw in my brother and our Alpha’s faces made her sit back in her seat and stare at the ceiling for a while, lost in thought. 

Demetri traced his fingers along the veins in my wrist, attempting to keep me calm as I waited for my mother’s final reaction.

Sue finally turned to Seth and asked, “How long did you know she was pregnant?” Her voice was still guarded.

“Jake, Ness, and I were there when she found, though she didn’t know it at first,” Seth said.

“I was too busy praying to the porcelain god to notice my audience,” I joked in an effort to lighten the mood and Demetri pulled a face while Seth snorted at my description. 

“Yeah. Anyway, we brought her here that same day because we couldn’t risk one of Sam’s pack finding out she was pregnant with a vampire’s kid and she was already starting to show.”

“Over a week?! You about this knew for over a week, and you’re only just now telling me anything!”

“We were trying to protect Leah. You saw how much of a mess she was after Demetri left. We did what we could to protect her from any stress, Carlisle’s orders.” Seth sucked on his lip. “Keeping it from you wasn’t exactly part of the order, but he did say no stress and we weren’t sure how you’d react. We weren’t trying to be mean or anything, I swear. We were just trying to do what we thought was best for Leah and Haylla.”

“Which would explain why all of you were so careful with what you told people about what was going on with her,” Sue said. She reached out as if to touch me, but then pulled her hand back quickly. “You’re pregnant with a-a-”

“A hybrid, Mom. She’s a hybrid.” I couldn’t keep the smile off my face any longer as I talked about my daughter. I glanced at Demetri. “We’ve decided to go with Haylla Rosalin. I wanted to name her after Dad, but all the female versions of Harry suck...” I trailed off and shrugged. “Then Demetri decided to name her after Rosalie because of all she’s done for me since I’ve been here. Anyway, the C-section is scheduled for Friday.”

Sue made a sound that might have been a laugh, “You really are pregnant.”

“Yes.” I rubbed the spot where I thought Haylla’s back might be.

“I should have seen it.” She shook her head. “How could I have been so blind? The proof was right there! Even as heartbroken as you were, you had a certain glow, especially right before you came here. Why didn’t I see it? Just how blind have I become to my own daughter?”

Sue stared at me for a long moment as she tried to wrap her mind around what my life had become. I could almost see the gears in her head spinning, mostly in vain, as she attempted to puzzle out the conundrum that was her daughter. Of all the things she probably expected to find when she came to see me, this probably never crossed her mind: a vampire imprint and a half vampire/half wolf hybrid on the way.

Haylla kicked hard, hitting a kidney, and I hissed. 

“Are you alright?” Demetri asked. He kissed my hair, just above my temple, then pressed his forehead to the same spot.

“She’s in a mood right now.”

“If she’s like this already, she’s going to be a handful,” Sue said, a shaky attempt at humor. Some of the color had returned to her face, though she still seemed on edge. Maybe, just maybe, my mother would be strong enough to deal with this. 

“I’m not much like the Cullens and Leah has gone against every tradition your wolves have, so what else would you expect from the offspring of the two of us?” Demetri’s voice was surprisingly gentle as he spoke to her. 

“You know what they say, if you’re a troublemaker, you get a kid just like you,” I said, but I couldn’t be angry. Haylla was my baby, my little troublemaker and my heart swelled to the point that I wondered how it still fit inside my chest. Even though she would most likely be smarter than I was before she was a year old, she would always be my baby and the love I felt for her now would never fade. 

Ness must have decided that it was okay to join us now that everything was out in the open because suddenly, she was clinging to Jake’s leg and looking at me, or rather my stomach. “Is Haylla moving around a lot right now?”

“What makes you ask that?” I frowned. 

“You’re holding your belly and your hands are tense like you’re hurting a little bit.”

“She’s been kicking more than usual.”

Emmett flew into the room and sat on the far end of the other couch. “She’s probably still a little bit peeved over the rude awakening you gave her.” His stupid looking grin warned me what he was up to. Ass. Talking about sex in front of my mother? That was not something I’d tolerate.

“What rude awakening?” Ness looked from me to Emmett. 

Thankfully, she was still innocent enough that she hadn’t put the pieces together. Or maybe Edward has read Demetri’s intentions in his thoughts, so he’d taken her away and that’s why Demetri hadn’t joined me in the shower straight away, because he was waiting for Ness to be clear of the house. Edward nodded his head just a little at my last thought.

“I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning so Demetri thought it would be funny to tickle me.” 

Emmett guffawed. 

Turning to the huge vampire, I growled, “Emmett, you can say anything you want to to me, I don’t care, as long as my mother and my brother aren’t around. They don’t need to hear it.”

Seth’s face twisted as he realized what Emmett was talking about. “Dude, what she said. It’s gonna be bad enough that I have to see things in her head when we’re both wolves without having you make jokes about it.”

“I have few hard limits, but I’m going to have to agree with Leah and Seth on this one. Family should be exposed to something of that nature as little as possible.” Demetri stood up and looked at Emmett. “Know this, if you continue to jest about us, I will be obliged to return the favor and I can assure you, I’m much better at this than you are.” Demetri leaned against the end of the couch nearest my head and crossed his arms, a smirk playing around his lips. 

Sue looked faintly nauseated as she put their words together and realized what Demetri and I had been doing that morning. I got the feeling that her reaction had less to do with me having sex, and more about it being with a vampire.

“Fine,” Emmett conceded. “It’s no fun teasing people who refuse to get embarrassed about it anyway.”

Alice skipped into the room, dragging Jasper and Rosalie behind her. “So I’ve been doing some online shopping and I found the cutest clothes for Little Bit! They should be here in about two days, three at the most. I got you some new things too, for after the baby is born,” she said to me. “And Demetri, don’t think I’m letting you get away with just the outfits you brought in your bag the entire time you’re here.” She shuddered delicately. “I can’t believe you thought that four sets of clothes would be enough.”

Rosalie caught my eye. “Are you okay?” she mouthed over Alice’s head.

I nodded once and the tension she’d been radiating dissipated.

Demetri started snickering at Alice and even Edward’s lips twitched.

“What’s so funny?” Alice glowered at Demetri. 

“Nothing important. I was just imagining how things might have been if you had decided to join the Guard.” He clapped his hands together and took on a high-pitched affectation of Alice, which was remarkably accurate. “‘First things first! Makeovers for everyone!’”

Alice stuck her tongue out at my imprint, but her frown dissolved into giggles a few seconds later.

“You’d probably give everyone new wardrobes, including Caius, who would hate you for it, by the end of the first month. Aro would let you get away with it because he wants your ability so badly, though I dare say he would be longing for the days when he got to decide what everyone wore. And Jane, oh, Jane would be a nightmare because she wouldn’t be able to torture you into submission. She knows her gift isn’t exclusive like yours is, so she’d have to behave around you.” He continued speaking, but Sue’s hand on my leg caught my attention.

“Leah?” Sue sounded hesitant again. “May I- may I feel her kick?”

“Sure.” I shifted so that she could reach my stomach better, then guided her hand to where the movements were the strongest. Haylla froze at the unfamiliar touch on my stomach. She’d grown accustomed to the chill of a vampire’s touch and wolf heat surrounded her on all sides. But a human with their soft warmth and fragile hands, that was something she’d never encountered before so she held still in an effort to figure things out.

I chuckled as I rubbed the side of my belly. “It’s just my mother, sweetheart. She’s your grandmother. You can say ‘hi.’” I made sure to keep my voice soft and gentle, just in case she could process my voice and emotions. “I wouldn’t let anyone near you if they were going to hurt you, I promise.”

Haylla seemed to sense that there was nothing wrong with this strange person touching me, so she rewarded Sue with a particularly hard kick, causing me to wince. If she was hurting me already, how was she going to be by Friday? I probably would have some cracked bones by then.

Sue stared, wide-eyed. “She’s so strong!”

“Carlisle thinks she’ll be stronger than Ness because I’m not human. We don’t know just how different she’ll be because there’s never been a kid like this one before. We’ll just have to see.” I cradled my stomach and smiled at the thought of being able to hold her without the impediment of her being inside me. I ached to hold her in my arms, to see her for myself.

I tried to picture her, this beautiful baby of mine. She would have black hair, that was pretty much a given, but would it be my straight hair or her father’s waves? Would she have my black eyes? Or would they be whatever color Demetri’s had been when he was human? Would she have his narrower face and sharp chin? Or would she take after me in that department? Who’s heritage would feature more strongly, my Quileute blood or Demetri’s Greek?

“That’s something else Jake mentioned,” Sue’s voice cut through my daydreaming, “how you were treated after it became accepted fact that you couldn’t have a baby. He made a comment about how he thinks Sam made such a big deal about it just to try to make himself feel better for hurting you.” Sue sighed. “Of all the stupid, patriarchal bull, that probably did the most damage, considering how many of your plans and dreams revolved around being a mother.”

“Perhaps we should invite the other pack around for a spot of tea,” Demetri remarked. He’d clearly been paying attention to my mother even as he teased Alice “Prove to them just how misguided they were about the most unique being in the world and I’d get to watch them squirm.” His eyes lit up with an unholy light. Trust Demetri to find perverse enjoyment at the suffering of those who hurt me. But if I was going to be honest with myself, he wasn’t the only one.

“After Haylla’s born, please. I’d like to be able to defend myself.” The thought of going up against any of Sam’s pack without being able to phase, it terrified me. Though I knew my pack would protect me, I wanted to be able to fight back myself.

“I think we can keep them away that long,” Embry said confidently.

“Maybe,” Quil groused. “Emily’s been getting more persistent.”

“I’ll tell them that I saw you, but that Dr. Cullen has you on bed rest until Saturday and no unnecessary visitors.” Sue offered. “Carlisle only made an exception for me because I’m your mother. If they ask any questions about what’s wrong with you, I’ll tell them to wait until after you’re given the all clear by the doctor, so they can ask you themselves.” This was the Sue I knew, strong, fearless, and able to make a wolf back down with a glare. 

“If they try anything stupid, they’ll have to get through me,” Rosalie vowed fiercely as she crossed her arms, her golden eyes alight with a rage not even a wolf could understand. “They’re not touching Leah and they definitely won’t get near Haylla.”

Demetri caught the side of my head and pulled me closer to him, pressing my head against his side. I looked up at him and he smiled gently. “It won’t be just you that they have to go through. Haylla is my daughter and Leah has become my main reason for existing.”

“It’s strange,” Sue murmured.

“What is?” Demetri raised an eyebrow, but didn’t look away from me.

“I’d always thought that vampires weren’t capable of feeling, that you’re all dead inside, but the Cullens, and now you, you’re making me rethink everything I thought I knew about your kind.” Sue’s brows furrowed as she examined my imprint more carefully. 

“What I feel for your daughter, your human mind couldn’t possibly compute such depth.” He grinned suddenly. “And to think it all started for me because I couldn’t walk away from a girl with snow in her hair.” He blinked as if his own words just dawned on him. “That’s it.” 

“You lost me,” I said.

“For the past several weeks, I’ve trying to think of a title for the music I’ve been working on. _Snow in her Hair._ It’s perfect.”

“You really do love her, don’t you?” Sue asked in amazement.

“With all my heart and whatever I have left of my soul,” he said tenderly and I placed my hand on his stomach. “I never gave much stock in love at first sight. I mocked those who experienced it and then it happened to me. But I would never go back.”   


I glanced over at my mother and she had a bemused smile on her face. All hostility appeared to have finally faded away as if she’d accepted that I’d imprinted on someone who was supposed to be my mortal enemy. Was it really so simple? But she was my mother and this hadn’t been my choice. 

I closed my eyes and buried my face into his shirt. Choice or not, Demetri was my life and Haylla was our future. 


	12. Chapter 12

Two days passed and my stomach now made it even more difficult to move. I looked around to find that I was alone in the bed. Cocking my head, I listened for Demetri and heard him talking to Emmett, telling a story.

I climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Turning on the water, I waited for it to heat up. When I stripped, I looked at my stomach in the mirror. Due to my rapid healing, I had no stretch marks on my swollen belly. It was still difficult to believe that I was pregnant, but my stomach and the wiggle worm inside me was proof that there was a little person growing inside me. I cradled my belly, rubbing Haylla through my skin. She shifted, almost as though she was trying to cuddle up to my hand.

“I love you, Haylla.”

Once I dressed after my shower, I headed downstairs. Raised whispers made me stop at the top of the stairs to the first floor.

“Aro will figure it out soon!” Bella hissed.

“Do you honestly believe that I’m so naïve to think that he would let me go without a fight?” Demetri snapped. “This has been my constant concern since I arrived. It could force him to act sooner if he thinks I’ve become a Cullen. If Aro discovers Haylla, there is no way he will let her go because she’s entirely unique, even among the rare, due to her mother. What’s more, if she has an ability, she will be definitive proof that talent produces talent, and I shudder to think of what that will mean, not just for her, but for everyone!”

I gripped the banister with one hand and covered my mouth with the other to try to keep my gasp quiet. My heart started racing as I listened to them talking. This was what I had been trying to avoid thinking about, my imprint’s coven and the threat they posed.

“Don’t think I don’t know that Leah and our child are in danger simply by being connected to me!” Fury colored his voice and someone ground their teeth together. “I know than anyone what Aro might do to them!”

“What are you going to do about it?” Bella asked, almost belligerently.

“Trying anything now would only stress Leah out.” Demetri sighed heavily. “As pathetic as it sounds, all we can do is hope that Aro thinks that I just left for a while. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve taken off, though it is the first time I’ve left without informing him of where I was going.”

My life had been so perfect for just a few days and suddenly, the dark side of magic reared its ugly head once more. For a brief moment, I hated the supernatural. Just after I had found happiness, it threatened to destroy me all over again.

“Do you have a plan?”

It was getting harder to inhale and I leaned against the wall to keep my balance. I wrapped my arms around my baby bump and gripped my shirt. My little girl, what would this mean for her? I didn’t want to think of exactly what could happen if Aro got his hands on her, but my mind went there anyway.

In an effort to try to regain my breath, I looked up at the ceiling, trying to focus on how it felt to lie beside Demetri, to be held in his arms.

“Leah can hear you,” Edward cut in.

I jerked when I felt Rosalie’s hand on my arm, worry written across her face.

Demetri appeared in front of me, wrapping his arms around me. I leaned my head against his shoulder, but didn’t let go of my stomach and breathed shakily, but I still couldn’t draw a full breath. Everything felt hazy as my blood pounded in my ears.

“You’re safe, my darling. You’re safe,” Demetri whispered against my hair.

“Jasper, could you get up here?” Rosalie called, keeping her voice soft. “Leah is on the verge of having a panic attack.”

There was another rush of wind, and then calm washed over me. Suddenly, I was able to breathe again. I inhaled, relieved that I could finally fill my lungs. I wanted to cry, to sob into Demetri’s chest, but Jasper’s gift prevented that.

“Leah, listen to me. They’ll have to get through all of us to get to you,” Rosalie vowed. “Through your connection to Jake and his bond to Renesmee, that makes you a part of this family and we protect our own with everything we have.”

“No one touches my family,” Emmett agreed, flexing his massive arms. “And my girl is right, you’re one of us now, whether you like it or not.”

Someone else walked up and Demetri stiffed. I wanted to open my eyes to see who it was, but Jasper’s calming effect made me not want to do anything more than stand there in Demetri’s arms listening to the sound of his breathing.

“I was trying to keep this from her,” Demetri snapped over my shoulder. “If you wanted to confront me, you should have waited until Leah was asleep, instead of after you heard her waking up. Neither she, nor our baby need this sort of tension, especially so close to Haylla’s birth.”

“I didn’t think,” Bella whispered. “I’m just worried about Nessie.”

“Worry about your daughter in a way that won’t jeopardize mine.” Demetri rubbed my back, trying to help me calm down so Jasper could let me go.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “Please, forgive me.”

“You could get Leah some blood,” Rosalie told her, as if trying to give her an escape.

“Sure!” Bella darted away, seeming relieved to have something to do besides standing there awkwardly with my imprint growling softly at her. I almost felt sorry for her, having someone with Demetri’s reputation furious at her, but maybe she would finally start to understand that her actions had far more consequences than she liked to believe.

Slowly, I felt Jasper’s influence leave my body as I was finally able to calm down on my own.

Demetri picked me up and carried me to the couch. After settling me into the seat with the blanket over my feet, he walked over to the piano and started playing a dark, angry piece, but kept it soft so not to scare Haylla.

Bella came down with a cup and handed it to me. She rubbed her thumb against her pointer finger in an oddly nervous manner. A glance at her face told me that she was chewing on her lip, something she’d done even as a human.

“Thanks,” I said. I wasn’t sure how to respond to her because I wasn’t used to seeing Bella like this since her transformation and never towards me.

She glanced over at Demetri, then gestured towards the seat at my feet. “May I sit?”

“Sure.”

Bella stared at the floor for a moment. “I am so sorry.” She exhaled and her face twisted. “God, I really am selfish. I know a little of what you’re going through with the baby and I still didn’t think about how you might feel. If I do something like that again, feel free to kick my ass.”

“You can count on it,” I said with a grin.

Slowly, Demetri’s playing segued into something softer, heartbreaking in its beauty. He closed his eyes, throwing himself into the music, pouring out his emotions.

“Is that Leah’s song?” Bella asked.

Demetri nodded, but didn’t open his eyes.

“It’s lovely.” With a slight smile at me, she left the room.

I leaned my head back against the arm of the couch and watched my imprint’s long fingers dance across the keys.

As I listened, I realized that the music told a story, our story. There was the initial eye contact that drew us together, followed by the day and night of lovemaking. Slowly, the music drifted into a lullaby, but with confusion woven into the mix. Then, confusion, longing, and anger became the predominant emotions, before swelling and shattering into a thousand emotions I had no name for. The melody finally concluded with something I could only describe as hope.

“The end of the piece, that was what I struggled with the most. I didn’t want it to end, but music must come to a conclusion,” Demetri admitted, looking at me. “You’re crying.” He darted over to me and brushed a tear away.

“It’s so beautiful,” I whispered.

Demetri kissed my lips softly. “It’s how I feel about you, every emotion, from our first interaction, until I finally admitted to myself that I was in love with you.”

His lips met mine again, with a bit more intent this time, and I dug my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. Demetri growled softly, deep in his throat and braced his hand on the back of the couch and deepened the kiss. I tangled my fingers in his hair, tugging his lower lip between my teeth, and he moved so that his body almost completely covered mine, though careful not to put his weight on my stomach.

Someone clearing their throat caught my attention and I looked up to find my pack and my mother standing in the room. My family shifted, as though they wanted to leave the room because of our positions while Embry grinned and exchanged glances with Quil. Both of them looked like they wanted to say something, but kept their mouths shut. To Jake’s credit, he acted like we hadn’t phased him.

Demetri straightened and bowed his head slightly in greeting.

“When’s breakfast?” Embry asked, trying to lighten the suddenly awkward atmosphere.

“It’s just about ready!” Esme called, louder than necessary, probably for Sue’s benefit.

“Sounds good. I’m starved.”

The new arrivals settled themselves around the room and Ness ran up to Jake. He swung her up onto his back and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Sup, Ness?” Jake greeted her with a grin.

“I want you to help me convince Demetri to go hunting with us on Sunday.”

“Will you?” Jake asked my imprint.

“I hadn’t planned to,” Demetri said. He glanced over at me, one brow raised.

“You could try it,” I suggested. I loved him, but his red eyes did bother me, more than I’d expressed since Demetri’s return. I didn’t want to argue with him in front of my pack or mother, but I was still feeling stressed over the events earlier and wasn’t in the mood to hold my tongue.

“I have tasted animal blood.” He pulled a face. “It’s disgusting.”

Irritation flooded me and I growled, “So what? You’re gonna keep murdering people? You know how I feel about that!”

“You’re not willing to turn a blind eye?” He cocked his head, an almost pleading look in his crimson eyes.

“No,” I snapped.

“Jacob seems willing to overlook certain things,” Demetri pointed out.

“That’s because Jake will go with whatever I decide in this, because of the imprint, and I want you to not go out and murder people every two weeks,” I waved my hand in irritation, “or however long you go between killing.”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Not a chance.” I scowled at him. “Either you hunt animals or be prepared to deal with my temper every time you come back from your little _trips_. And I can promise you, you’ve seen nothing like me in a rage.”

“Damn.” He pursed his lips in irritation.

“Don’t look at me like that! You’re the one who decided to give me my free will and let me think for myself. And I think I’d rather see you with golden eyes than to see your eyes stained red with the blood of your human victims.”

Demetri’s mouth pulled down. “You’re so stubborn.”

“Yeah. I warned you that this would happen,” I bit out.

He inhaled and leaned his head back, before exhaling slowly. “Very well, if it makes you happy, I will try it. Who knows? It might be interesting to have to hunt without my gift.” He grinned at me. “In a few months’ time, I might just have golden eyes.”

“That’s all I can ask, that you do try.”

He brushed my hair out of my face. “I suppose an old dog can learn new tricks, if they only put their mind to it.”

“Holy crap,” Embry whispered.

We both looked at the others in the room to find them staring at us. Sue’s mouth opened and shut a few times as though she wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words while Seth grinned, but even he looked surprised at our interactions.

“How the hell did you do that?” Quil asked in awe. “You just made him back down!”

“I was afraid that he might run all over you, but he doesn’t seem to,” Sue said softly. “How did you do it? In all the time I’ve spent around imprinted wolves, I’ve never seen a wolf able to yell at their imprint like that. They can get angry, but not like you just did.”

This was my chance, to tell my pack how different my imprint felt. They deserved to at least have the chance to experience the same thing.

“Hey, guys, there’s something we need to talk about.”

“Shoot,” Jake said.

I glanced at Demetri, drawing strength from his calm. “The imprint as you’ve experienced it, it’s only half the story. The other day, Demetri gave me my free will, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt from any wolf before.” I chewed on my lip as I tried to find the words. “It’s, it’s amazing. I feel so much more for him than I did before that. It’s like a dam broke and all these feelings came bursting out.” I laughed once. “It’s everything we were told that an imprint should be and so much more.” My face felt like it was about to split from how much I was smiling. “I’ve never felt peace like this from any imprinted wolf. I’m not bound to his whims, but I’m free to love him so much more than I ever dreamed possible.”

“How’d he do that?” This came from Ness.

“I told her that I wanted her to think for herself, to not give into my whims simply because it’s what I want.” Demetri’s lips twisted up gently.

Ness’s brows furrowed deeply. “That does make a lot of sense.” She glanced at Jake, her brown eyes serious, before she looked back at Demetri and asked, “So all I have to is say that I want Jake to be free?”

“You have to mean it,” Demetri said.

She took Jake’s head between both of her little hands and looked him deep in the eyes. “Jake, I want you to have your free will. I want you to be your own person. I mean, I still want you to be my wolf person, I just want you to be happy, like Leah.”

Jake’s eyes went wide. “Wow. Holy-” He cut himself off and looked at me. “Damn!”

“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” I whispered.

Jake jumped to his feet and raked both hands through his hair. “I don’t- I can’t- um. Wow.” He laughed and swung Ness around. “Holy crap!”

Ness giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his.

“How did you figure it out?” Jake asked Demetri, but he didn’t look away from Ness. He stared at Ness in complete awe, almost as though he was experiencing the imprint all over again.

“It wasn’t something I thought of consciously.” Demetri’s brows furrowed as he considered his next words. “I’m of the opinion that it’s much easier to tame a shrew than to love a slave and eternity would grow rather dull with someone who refuses to argue with me.” He smiled at me tenderly. “A woman as fierce as Leah should never be caged.”

Sue studied my Alpha and his imprint then looked at Demetri and me. “Who would have thought that it would take a vampire, someone we are taught from childhood to hate, to teach us something good about ourselves?”

“Breakfast is ready!” Esme called, her voice moving towards us. She entered the living room carrying a plate piled high with fluffy scrambled eggs, sausage, and a huge blueberry muffin in one hand. In her other hand was a glass of orange juice.

Rosalie flitted down the stairs with my cup of blood, then sat down on the other couch before flicking on the TV.

Sue’s face twisted, then went completely blank, when she realized what was in the cup and she stood quickly to follow the boys to the kitchen. To her credit, she said nothing and did her best to keep me from seeing her reaction.

“Your poor mother,” Demetri said with low laugh once she was out of earshot. “I think she should just accept that she needs to let go of any preconceived notions altogether about wolves when it comes to you.”

“Don’t tease her.” I took a bite of the eggs and chewed. They were perfectly seasoned with pepper and some sort of exotic salt. “She’s trying. But having her daughter drink blood is probably a difficult thing for her to wrap her mind around. Hell, I struggle with that.”

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t nice of me, was it?” He rubbed my calf. “Just two more days of this, my darling, then you’ll be in the clear.”

I swallowed the bite I’d taken before asking, “You don’t think I’ll get pregnant again?”

“Not for years, I’d imagine. Your mate is immortal, as are any offspring we have.” He placed his hand on my stomach before leaning back against the couch. “You may even have a period of time after which you are no longer fertile at all.”

“It wouldn’t matter much if I didn’t have another baby.” I took a long pull from the white cup. My free hand cradled my stomach and said softly, “Haylla is more than I thought I would have.”

“She will be one of the most loved people in the world,” Rosalie commented. “No child is loved more than one who came after all hope of ever having a baby is lost.”


	13. Chapter 13

“Leah. Leah, it’s time to wake up,” a woman called.

“Go ‘way.” I mumbled. 

“Leah, my darling,” Demetri whispered against my shoulder. “I know it’s early, but Carlisle only has a short window he can do this in.”

“Leah, you’ve got to get up. We need to get ready for your C-section.”

My eyes shot open. Rosalie stood beside the bed. Her hair was pulled back tight away from her face into a bun in preparation for the upcoming operation. 

“Come on. We’ve got to get the epidural started.”

Rosalie helped me out of bed. “Take a quick shower and meet me in Carlisle’s office. Your mother should be here soon.” 

“Okay.” I headed to the bathroom to do as she instructed.

Sue was in Carlisle’s office already talking to Edward, Rosalie, and Carlisle.

“So as you can see, this is the lowest risk option we have and between the three of us, we will be able to take care of any complications,” Edward was saying as I walked through the door with Demetri on my heels.

“Hi, Mom,” I said as I sat down on the operating table. The sky that I could see through the window was dark, though the first hints of gray were starting to tint it.

“Morning, sweetheart. How are you feeling?” Sue asked.

“Scared, but ready to meet her,” I replied. 

“I remember feeling like that.” Sue smiled as she walked over to me. She patted my arm and gave me a small smile. “But I had almost a year to get ready for you. You’ve had two weeks. Less than that if you think about it.”

“She was nothing but a fantastic dream a month ago.” I wrapped my hands around my bump. “And now, she’s almost here.”

“You’re going to be an amazing mother, Leah.”

“You really think that?”

“I know it.”

“Just this once, my darling, listen to your mother,” Demetri whispered against my hair.

Warmth infused me and I didn’t bother fighting the smile that spread across my face. Even though we had our differences, Sue was still my mother and hearing that she believed I would be a good mother to my own daughter felt like an accomplishment.

“Please stand back,” Carlisle said as he and Edward moved around my back to prepare me for the epidural. The scent of iodine filled the room as it was rubbed over my back and I wrinkled my nose. “This may hurt for a bit.”

They moved so fast, that by the time I registered the pain, it was over.

“We’ve given you a much higher dose than I normally would so you should be feeling it soon,” Carlisle said as they moved my shirt up over my stomach. “Hopefully you won’t feel anything at all, but with your higher temperature, we can’t say for certain.”

Rosalie rubbed iodine over the area where they were going to cut, while Edward set up a screen so I wouldn’t see what was going on. Carlisle double checked his instruments and moved the tray into an easily accessible position.

“Okay, wow, I can’t feel anything now,” I said.

“I’m going to need the two of you to leave the room,” Carlisle said to Sue and Demetri. “I need anyone not essential to the operation itself to step out, in case of complications.”

My mother and my imprint left the room reluctantly.

“We’ll be right outside,” Sue said as she closed the door behind herself

“Let’s get started,” Carlisle said and the vampires flew into action.

Hearing my skin being sliced, but feeling no pain was the strangest thing I’d ever experienced. I wanted to see what they were doing, but at the same time, I was glad that I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure how I would react to seeing my stomach opened up like that. There was a slight pinch, then Carlisle leaned over and the screeching sound of vampire skin tearing filled the room.

“Rosalie,” Edward murmured.

Rosalie reached in and then, I caught sight of Haylla for the first time as Rosalie pulled her free of my body. She wrapped Haylla in a receiving cloth, then cradled the baby against her. I could hear Haylla gasping as she looked around in shock. She was so tiny in Rosalie’s arms.

“Give her to me, please!” I reached for my baby. I ached to feel her weight against my chest.

Rosalie carefully placed her in my arms before racing back to help the men put me back together again. 

I stared down at my daughter, awe filling me. The first thing I noticed was that her skin was firm, much like Demetri’s and she was so warm, but not as warm as I was. 

“Haylla,” I whispered as I brushed a black curl from her forehead. Even smeared with blood as she was, she was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen. In her newborn face, I could see that she wouldn’t favor one of us over the other. She had my face shape, with Demetri’s cheekbones and both of us featured in her mouth. “Oh, my god.”

She looked up at me, her blue eyes shot through with a hint of brown around the iris were too focused for a human baby of her size. She blinked rapidly, her long, black lashes brushed her olive cheeks and nuzzled her face against my breasts, grabbing my shirt in her tiny hand. I kissed her forehead, not caring that she was still covered with evidence of her recent birth. She was my baby, my perfect little girl. My heart swelled with emotions so profound, that love couldn’t begin to cover them. 

“Hello, Haylla,” I said as tears trickled down my face. A sob broke through my lips as I cupped her cheek with my hand, not caring that I was smearing the fluid she was covered with all over myself. “You’re so beautiful!”

Her full lips pulled into a smile, revealing perfect little teeth, in recognition to my voice, and reached for my face. I captured her tiny hand with mine, counting her fingers, then moved to her feet. Her feet were no longer than my pinky finger. I captured one of her feet in my hand and carefully, I counted her toes. She kicked when I touched her toes and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

“It looks like you got that from me,” I whispered. 

I couldn’t get over just how amazing my little girl was. As my nostrils filtered out the blood, I caught Haylla’s scent: vanilla and pomegranate, with soft traces of orange blossom. 

Haylla gripped my finger and brought it to her face, then she smiled at me again, as if satisfied with what she found. I wondered what was going through her head, just how much was she processing and understanding.

I traced my fingertip down her nose, which she inherited from her father. Every feature looked more sculpted than a newborn’s normally was, more adult-like, but with enough roundness to her cheeks to give her the cute, baby face.

Carlisle moved the screen out of the way. “It’s amazing, watching the healing process. By nightfall, no one would know that she’d just given birth.” He stepped back. “Edward, Rosalie, keep an eye on her. Make sure she keeps her physical activities to a minimum, and if there are any complications call me.”

“Of course.” Edward nodded in agreement.

“I need to clean her up and check her over,” Rosalie said to me.

Reluctantly I handed her over and Rosalie darted out of the room.

Almost immediately, I felt an extreme urge to be near Haylla, to follow her. I needed to get to her. I let out a strangled cry. Where was Haylla? I had to find her. My heart raced and I couldn’t breathe. Every cell tried to reach for her, but the drugs Carlisle had given me made it impossible to comply. 

“Rosalie! Talk to her, tell her she can’t pull on Leah like that! It’s hurting her!” Edward’s panicked voice registered through the fog enveloping my brain. 

After a long moment, the need faded, but was not completely gone.

“What was that?” I gasped for breath, confused by what had just happened.

“Haylla. Her gift seems to be the ability to bring people to her,” Edward replied. “It’s the exact opposite to Demetri. He finds people, but it’s a more passive talent. He follows a trail, but can do nothing to change their path, while hers is active.”

Feeling started to return to my legs and I tried to wiggle my toes. They moved just a little. After that, the feeling returned much more quickly and I struggled to sit up. Pain shot through my lower stomach and I bit back a hiss.

“Are you okay?” Edward asked, holding out his hand as if to catch me if I fell.

“Just really sore.”

“Here. Let me.” Rosalie dashed to my side, offering her arm so I could lean on it. She supported most of my weight as I hobbled along. 

“Where’s Haylla?”

“Demetri’s holding her. She’s taken to her papa really well.” Rosalie replied as she led me towards the door. “I’ve got a bath running for you.”

“Thanks.” The scent of iodine was starting to get to me.

“If you’re willing, I’d like to cut your hair too.”

“Why would you do that?”

“From what Sue’s been saying, your idiot ex is likely coming over tomorrow.” Her voice made it very clear what she thought of him, and his actions towards me.

“Rosalie,” I protested. We reached the bathroom by this time and clouds of lavender steam issued from the tub.

“From what everyone’s told me, I’d say he still carries a torch for you” She ruffled my hair and laughed. “Why not show him that you’re over him completely with a makeover to go along with your imprint and baby?”

“I don’t know.” I felt Haylla pull on my mind again. 

“It’ll be quick. In fact, I could do it before you take a bath.”

“Sure.” I finally relented.

Rosalie patted the closed toilet lid. I sat down, then Rosalie flew into action, pulling out scissors and a comb. The snips were so fast I could hardly distinguish one from the other. Even as quickly as she worked, she was so gentle so I barely felt a pull.

“How did Haylla’s measurements go?” I asked, eager to hear about my baby.

“She’s slightly smaller than Ness, but that’s to be expected considering she was born a day early, which would equal two weeks early in a human baby. Other than that, she’s right on track, including her lungs, which are functioning perfectly.”

I sagged in relief.

“She’s not venomous either.”

“Good,” I laughed. “I won’t have to worry about her biting me.”

“No, you won't.” Rosalie brushed the cut hair off of my shoulders. “Alright. Do you need any help?” 

“Just to get to the tub.” 

“Of course.” She hooked her arm around my waist and supported my weight as I got to my feet. My legs shook, but Rosalie held me firmly, so I had no fear of falling “There are clothes on the counter. I’ll be downstairs, so call if you need anything.”

After undressing, I slid into the water and scrubbed the blood and iodine from my skin. My muscles begged me to stay where I was, but Haylla’s tugging became more insistent. I was already feeling much better, so I climbed out of the tub and emptied it. 

I stepped carefully onto the tile floor and found that my feet held steady so I walked over to the counter and braced my hands on it and looked at the mirror.

My reflection was now closer to what it had been before I got pregnant. The skin that had been stretched out around my baby was almost completely back in place with the incision being the only remaining evidence that I’d just given birth. Even though my body would show no signs of carrying a child in just a few hours, it still seemed different. Maybe it was that I now knew how it felt to have a baby moving inside me, to cradle a child beneath my heart. 

After I dried off, I examined the items Rosalie had laid out for me: a halter top vest and a pair of jean shorts, both in black. These clothes would be perfect to tie around my ankle when I phased and the vest was short enough that it left my healing injuring bare so it wouldn’t be irritated. 

Running the towel over my hair quickly, I headed down the stairs, keeping my hand on the banister to keep myself from falling.

Demetri was seated on the couch with our daughter cradled in the crook of his arm. She was now bundled up in a blanket with only her face and a small portion of her dark waves showing. Haylla looked at me with a smile on her face when she saw me.

Rosalie and Sue sat on the other couch, their gaze focused on Haylla.

“There she is,” Demetri whispered against her hair. 

“See, Haylla? I told you she would be okay,” Rosalie said with a smile. “She just needed to rest and take a bath to feel better, though she does still have some healing to do.”

Haylla looked at Rosalie, then turned her attention back to me and I sat down beside Demetri with one leg curled up underneath me. Wrapping one arm around his waist, I pressed a kiss to his shoulder and rested my cheek against him. I placed my free hand on his forearm, twirling the hairs there with my thumb. Even with the threat looming on the horizon, this moment was absolutely perfect. 

A camera clicked somewhere and I looked up to see Alice with the device in her hands. 

“You all looked so sweet, I wanted to make sure it was in her baby album.” Her eyes widened. “Did you not want me to?”

“I suppose it’s alright,” Demetri said without looking up. 

“Yay!” Alice cheered and did a little dance. 

Poor Alice. She was so eager to make friends and so used to seeing what would happen instead of what was happening that she forgot herself sometimes. 

Perhaps if she wasn’t so damned cheerful all the time, I could have been able to be her friend, instead of just someone I saw on a regular basis Maybe that’s why Bella was able to be her friend, because she was so stuck in her own head all the time that she needed someone with Alice’s energy to counterbalance that. But me? I had too many jagged edges to tolerate her bubbly personality, which was why I got along with Rosalie better.

Haylla made a little sound, drawing my attention back to her.

“For the first time in centuries, I am at a loss for words.” Demetri kissed Haylla’s forehead. Wonder filled his voice and I thought that if he was capable of it, he would be in tears. “I’m not used to having nothing to say.”

I caught one of Haylla’s hands and she curled her fingers around mine. She was already so strong, something she would need to be if there was any hope of her surviving the shadow world we had brought her into.

“The only word that comes to mind to describe her is ‘incredible,’” Demetri murmured.

Haylla gave him a wide smile, as if she understood what he said.

“She’s ours,” I said. Tears filled my eyes and I buried my face against his sleeve to try to wipe them away. My throat felt tight and I tried to swallow around it. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that she’s real”

“You’re not alone in that.” Demetri kissed my temple. “A month ago, she did not exist, not even in my wildest imaginings and yet, here she is.” 

I rubbed Demetri’s back, before carding my fingers through the hair on the back of his head and rested my cheek against his shoulder once more. My heart squeezed again with that nameless emotion and all I could think was that maybe it was the wolf in me, laying claim to my cub.

All at once, I felt a tug on my mind and Haylla looked at me expectantly.

“I think she wants me to hold her.”

Haylla held out her hands and I picked her up. Haylla smiled widely and patted my chest right between my breasts, then tried to sit up. I cradled her head and helped her into the position she wanted. She looked around curiously. Her nostrils flared when she caught my mother’s scent.

She turned her gaze towards me, then pointed to Sue.

“No, Haylla,” Demetri said and Haylla turned towards him, listening intently. “Carlisle does not allow human hunting in his territory. So we respect that.”

“Would it be too soon for me to hold her?” Sue asked. 

“Let me have a little chat with her first,” Demetri said. Then, he tilted Haylla’s chin so that he could look her in the eye. “Your mother’s mother would like to hold you, but you have to be careful with her. Humans are very breakable so we have to be gentle. We can never use our full strength with them without breaking them.” He paused for a moment, allowing Haylla to process what he said. “I need you listen to your papa and not hurt Sue.”

Haylla’s eyes turned serious and she closed her mouth firmly as if to show that she could keep from biting.

“Sue, perhaps you would like to sit next to Leah?” Demetri stood up and, moving a few feet away from the couch, lowered himself onto his heels. His red eyes still scared her, so he tried to keep from looming over her. He braced his arms on his knees, watching Haylla.

“Oh, thank you.” Sue did as he suggested and I smiled at her.

Sue returned my smile as she held her arms out and I placed Haylla in them. 

“You’re so sturdy.” Sue cradled Haylla in her arms, brushing the baby’s black waves away from her face with a shaking hand. 

I could smell the tears and she sniffed, trying to hide the fact that she was crying. I patted her shoulder, but said nothing. This was her moment with her first grandchild and I didn’t want to interrupt it by talking to her.

Haylla inhaled, taking in my mother’s scent and I tensed in case she decided to ignore Demetri’s warnings, but the movements sent a dull stab through my lower abdomen and I grabbed my stomach. Demetri glanced at me, brows furrowed.

“Are you still in pain?” Rosalie asked softly so not to distract my mother as I relaxed back into the couch.

“A little,” I admitted, keeping my attention on Haylla, but she only smiled at my mother and made no move to bite.

“I can get you something for it, if you like.”

“No.” I waved away her offer.

“You don’t need to make yourself uncomfortable. It’s no trouble.”

“Leah,” Demetri said. It was clear he wanted me to take up Rosalie’s offer.

“It sounds strange when I try to think of the words to say,” I sighed. “It’s- it’s proof that this isn’t a fantastic dream. It sounds crazy, I know, but feeling myself heal, it helps me accept that this is my life and that Haylla is my baby. Because of the pain, I know that I’m not gonna wake up and she’ll be nothing but a creation of my subconscious.”

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

“Sure thing.” 

“My first grandbaby,” Sue whispered as she examined my daughter. “I’m actually a grandmother! You’re so beautiful.”

Satisfied that Haylla would keep her teeth to herself, Demetri walked over to the piano. After considering for a moment, he started playing my song. I leaned my head back at an angle so that I could still see Haylla and my eyes drifted closed, lulled into relaxation.

Before I realized it, I jerked awake when Ness and Bella walked through the door. I could smell something cooking and my stomach growled. For the first time in weeks, I didn’t crave blood and the wolf in me felt nothing but relief.

“When’s Jake coming over?” Ness asked Sue as she danced across the room. 

“As soon as he and the other boys get their homework and chores done,” Sue replied, with a quick glance at Ness, but turned her attention back to Haylla. “Knowing them, they’ll get nothing done this weekend between everything that’s going on if they don’t do it now.”

“Wow, look at her eyes,” Bella remarked as she studied Haylla. “I was not expecting that.”

Haylla frowned. She looked at me, then pointed to Bella.

“Not to worry, darling. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s difficult for those of us with psychic gifts to affect Bella,” Demetri said. He sounded truly annoyed by that and it reminded me that he wasn’t often thwarted. 

“What can she do?” Ness asked. She looked from Demetri to me and then back to Haylla. 

“She can bring people to her,” I said as I caught one of her feet, causing Haylla to giggle and kick at my hand before tucking her feet flat against Sue’s leg. “Depending on how strongly she pulls, you can ignore it, or she can bring you in a hurry.”

“That’s so neat!”

“Here you are.” Esme dashed into the room with a plate containing a huge cinnamon roll and several slices of bacon and a glass of orange juice. “Let me know if you want anything else.”

“Thank you, Esme. This looks good.”

 

Just as the sun was setting, the boys arrived. By this time, Esme was holding Haylla and telling her a story involving a newborn Emmett trying to use a wooden baseball bat. Haylla’s expressions told everyone that she understood at least most of what Esme was saying. Every so often Emmett kept interjecting his perspectives from where he was upstairs with Edward and Jasper. 

“Aw, look at her,” Seth said as he walked over to her.

Haylla pointed to the boys and looked at me. 

“That’s my younger brother, Seth. Then behind him there’s Quil and Embry. The one who just walked through the door is Jake. I guess you can call them all ‘Uncle’ even though only Seth and I have the same parents, they are my pack brothers”

She tilted her head sniffing the air, then pointed at me, then at the boys.

“We’re all wolves,” I replied. 

Her brows furrowed and her lips pursed. She cocked her head to the other side and studied me carefully. 

“I’ll show you what I look like as a wolf when I’m given the all=clear by the doctors.”

Ness leaped onto Jake’s back, then clung to him like a little monkey, with her hand pressed against his cheek, most likely telling him all about her day. He hooked her legs under his arms so steady her while her hands were on his face. 

“A blue-eyed Quileute,” Embry commented when he examined her. “That’s not exactly common.”

I breathed a soft sigh of relief when it became obvious that Embry didn’t imprint on Haylla. I wouldn’t have hated it—in fact, of any of the wolves, he would have been the one I’d have the least trouble with—but I didn’t want her to have her decisions taken from her. I wanted her to be able to fall in love on her own, to be her own person, instead of having her destiny mapped out for her. Now if only none of the other wolves made the mistake of imprinting on my baby, we would be good.

“Damn, Leah. I didn’t think anyone could be as pretty as Ness, but Haylla runs a very close second,” Jake said once Ness finally let go of his face. “And I gotta admit, those eyes, they’re beautiful.” He touched the back of Haylla’s hand with one of his fingers and she smiled at him, but seemed content to let Esme hold her for the moment. 

“Leah, would you mind if I did a quick examination on you?” Rosalie asked. 

“Sure.” I stood up and followed her to Carlisle’s office. All evidence of Haylla’s entry into the world had been removed, except for the table and what looked like an ultrasound machine. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were working on some science equipment set up against the far wall. 

“Do you want them to step out of the room?” Rosalie asked.

“They can stay, I don’t care.” I climbed up and lay down.

Rosalie slid my shirt up, then examined my stomach. “Is there any tenderness?” She asked as she pressed on different areas. 

“Nope. Feels good.”

She pulled out a bottle from under the table and squeezed some of its contents into her hand, which she rubbed onto my stomach and I jerked at the sensation of it against my skin. “I know it’s slimy and I’m sorry.”

“It feels gross,” I muttered. 

Rosalie picked up the wand from the ultrasound machine and ran it over my stomach, paying special attention to the incision area. Though it was a little sensitive to the touch as it is with scars sometimes, there was no pain.

“I’m surprised you’re complaining about that,” Emmett remarked.

“He’s not slimy.”

“Usually,” Emmett said.

“No more than you are.”

Emmett snickered.

Rosalie shook her head at our conversation and said, “From the way it looks, except for the scars, you’re healed up enough for me to say you’re good to go. What was it, twelve hours, if that since you gave birth?”

“So I can go for a run?”

“I see no reason why not.”

“It’s about damn time. I feel like I’m about to crawl out of my skin,” I groused as I sat up and Rosalie laughed. 

I ran up to my room and pulled out the leather cord from the top drawer of the nightstand. Tying the cord around my ankle, I left the room. Adrenaline buzzed through my body in anticipation of the phase and I could practically feel the wolf in me clawing at the door to get out.

“Phase directly back if you feel any pain and let me know immediately. Don’t try to play tough. It’ll do you no favors this time,” Rosalie ordered. She was still in Carlisle’s office, darting around the room to clean up from my examination.

“Sure thing!” I called as I bounded down the stairs and skidded to a stop in front of my daughter, right as Carisle walked through the front door. 

“How are you feeling?” Carlisle asked as he took off his jacket, then crossed the room to Esme. She tipped her head up a little and kissed his cheek in greeting. He smiled down at her and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

“Rosalie just gave me the all clear.” 

“You healed even faster than I’d calculated,” Carlisle remarked, but it seemed like he was talking more to himself than to me.

To Esme, I said, “I promised Haylla I’d show her what I looked like as a wolf once I was allowed to phase.”

Carlisle moved over to Rosalie and they began a low conversation about my healing and about Haylla’s development in comparison to Ness’s. The topic quickly turned to wolf DNA and how it seemed to stand up better to vampire DNA than they were expecting, and I tuned them out, focusing on Haylla. 

Haylla’s eyes lit up with excitement and she looked at Esme expectantly.

“You want to see what your mama looks like as a wolf?” Esme smiled at Haylla.

The little girl pointed to the door and looked up at Esme.

“Let’s go,” I said.

We headed outside and I ran for the trees. As soon as my clothes were secured with the cord, the heat, far more welcomed than I’d ever welcomed it before, raced down my spine and the wolf took over my body.

When I stepped out of the treeline, Haylla stared at me, eyes wide. She looked at Esme, then pointed at me. Demetri joined them by this time and he looked at me with a smile, but made no move to follow me as the other wolves raced for the trees to phase.

“Yes, that is her.”

Haylla giggled and pulled me closer to her and I complied without a fight. Reaching down, she ran her hand over my head and grabbed a hold of one of my ears, but I flicked it out of her way. This caused her to laugh again.

When my brothers joined me in my mind, Embry commented, _Damn. I’ve never felt the pack mind like this before._

_ What do you mean? _ I asked.

_ It’s lighter. I can’t explain it.  _ Embry’s wordless thoughts filled the pack mind as he tried to find a way to describe how it all seemed to him.  _Though you and Jake are obviously devoted to your imprints, it’s just, I don’t know. Everything just feels like it’s in place._

_ Embry’s right. _ Quil commented.  _It’s so strange, after feeling the minds of others who’ve imprinted to you guys, there’s no comparison._ He laughed.  _I wonder when Claire will be able to set me free, because damn, I’m jealous!_

Seth wanted to say something, but he fought back his thoughts and no one commented on them. Even after I imprinted and no longer felt anything but pity for Sam, Seth still hated him.

_ How about a race? _ Jake asked to change the subject . 

_ A race? Is that what they’re calling it these days? _ I retorted. 

“I take it they want to go for a run?” Esme asked tipping her chin towards my pack brothers and I nodded. “Go along then. You’ve been cooped up here for the last two weeks. Haylla will call when she’s ready for you to return.”

I barked a laugh, then, pressing my nose to Haylla’s forehead, I turned on my heel and darted after my brothers.


	14. Chapter 14

My heart pounded and heat pooled low in my belly, as though I’d had a highly erotic dream, which hadn’t been the case. As I drifted closer to consciousness, I realized what woke me.

“It’s about time you opened your eyes,” Demetri whispered against my bare stomach. He nipped at my navel with his teeth, using his nose to push my t-shirt up further. “I’d almost despaired at you ever awakening in time.”

“Time for what?”

“This.” Pressing his hands flat against my rib cage, he slid my shirt up into a makeshift blindfold.

“What about Haylla?”

“Rosalie has her and she’s sound asleep.” He kissed me behind my ear, then caught my earlobe between his teeth, and murmured, “If you move the shirt or tear it, I stop.”

“If you stop, I’ll kick your ass.” Without my eyesight, all my other senses became heightened, as they strained to catch anything.

Demetri chuckled and sucked lightly on my chin before moving to my neck. I felt him rise up onto his knees and then, he tugged my sleep pants off my legs with one smooth motion. They hit the floor somewhere at the foot of the bed.

Almost instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his hips, trying to pull him closer.

“Patience.” Demetri breath fanned over my breasts. “We’re just getting started.”

His tongue flicked against one nipple, before closing over it. Rather than continue sucking, he released my skin and blew on my skin, sending an even sharper blast of cold. I inhaled sharply.

“You’re so beautiful.” Demetri trailed his open mouth across my chest and nuzzled his face against my other breast. He alternated between nipping lightly and sucking around my nipple, but avoided the nipple itself.

His hair brushed against my skin and I arched just a little, digging my toes into the sheets. I wanted to touch him, ached to feel his skin beneath my hands. Why did he like to torture me so?

When he paused his ministrations, I whimpered, “Don’t stop!”

Suddenly, he bounded off the bed. Because I couldn’t see, I strained to hear, but none of the sounds made sense. Why was he just standing there?

“Get back here,” I whined and banged my head back against the mattress. What was he doing? I was so tempted to remove the blindfold, but I knew he would carry through with his threat and I was too wired by this point for that to happen.

A drawer opened and closed, then the bed dipped as he crawled between my legs and trailed something—was that a feather?—over my stomach. The feather moved down to my inner thighs, then traced up, but not quite where I ached for his attention.

“Asshole,” I muttered.

“Keep insulting me and I’ll make you keep quiet.” He caressed my breasts, and then my neck. Demetri twirled the feather behind my ears and down along my chin. As the feather brushed my lips, he murmured, “I think I can find a gag somewhere. Do you want that?” He pressed his knee against me, rubbing up and down twice before shifting it away. “Do you want me to take away another sense?”

“No!” I gasped, arching.

“Good girl.”

I could hear the smile in his voice and I snarled at that.

He grabbed my ankle, pushing my knee up and slapped my ass. “Don’t you dare growl at me.” He smoothed the area he’d struck, soothing the stinging skin with his cold hand. “If you want me to stop, tell me to stop.” He sucked on my calf, then asked, “Do you want me to stop?”

“No.” A jolt of lust went through my body and I whimpered deep in the back of my throat. Having him take such control, but to allow me to bow out if I wanted, it made me feel powerful in a way, knowing that even though I was surrendering to him, I was very firmly in the driver’s seat. He couldn’t do anything if I told him to stop.

“That’s my girl.” He released my leg, allowing it to fall back onto the bed. “Shall we continue?”

“Please.”

Demetri placed a hard kiss on my neck. Picking up the feather again, he moved it over my breasts, paying special attention to my nipples. Slowly, oh so slowly, he trailed his feather down my stomach, and over my inner thighs, twirling it harder over the more sensitive places, as if to punish me for my earlier faux pas.

My back arched and I gasped loudly. Being unable to see, I had no idea exactly where he might take his instrument of sweet torture next and every nerve ending strained, prepared for his touch.

When the feather flicked against that bundle of nerves between my legs, I keened.

“I love the sounds you make,” Demetri murmured, circling around that bundle again.

“Oh, damn, Demetri!”

Then the feather was gone and I felt his breath closer to my skin. His cold tongue flicked against my stomach, before sliding up my body. His mouth latched onto the skin above my jugular vein sucking hard enough I knew it would leave a mark for a while. Throwing my head back, I slid my leg up his side and I felt the shirt start to give against my strength.

“Don’t tear that shirt,” Demetri whispered.

I gripped the sheets above my head and bit my lower lip hard enough to almost draw blood to try to stifle a cry.

“Leah, don’t you dare.” Sucking my earlobe into his mouth, he said, “I want to hear you.” Twisting one of my nipples between his fingers, he trailed his open mouth down my body and I gasped, lifting my hips eagerly.

I moaned, tightening my hold on the sheets, when he caught my panties between his teeth and tugged them down. Leaning back on his heels, he lifted my legs and slid my panties off the rest of the way. With a chuckle, he kissed my thigh.

“Demetri, please.”

“But I haven’t finished playing,” he murmured against my skin. Covering his teeth with his lips, he bit down and I bucked. Demetri placed his hand on my lower stomach, keeping me from being able to move so much.

Did a car pull into the lane? I couldn’t be sure. Let the Cullens deal with it. Not everything that happened to them involved me. They didn’t need me jumping in.

“And now you’re thinking about what’s going on downstairs,” Demetri complained as he dragged his lips along my femoral artery.

“Then take my mind off of it,” I challenged.

“Very well.” His nose brushed against that bundle of nerves between my legs and then his lips closed over it.

“Damn.” I hooked my legs over his shoulders, trying to push his head closer, but when he refused to comply, I attempted to grind against his face, to no avail. Instead of doing what I wanted, he circled his tongue around, then flicked it a few times. A shuddering sigh broke from my lips as my back arched off the bed. “Demetri. Oh, shit!”

Demetri laughed and his voice sent vibrations straight through me.

My chest heaved with the effort to keep from screaming and sweat started to pool in between my breasts, trickling up towards my neck.

He lifted his head and nipped at my thigh. “I don’t give a damn about the delicate sensibilities of anyone who might overhear us. I want you to scream. Will you do that for me?”

“Give me something to scream about,” I said, breathlessly.

“It would be my pleasure.” Demetri sucked harder and this time, I couldn’t stop the sounds that erupted from my throat even if I wanted to. The designs he drew with his tongue changed so that I couldn’t be sure what he would do next and my body shook with anticipation. He sped up, driving me to the edge, then slowed, pulling away entirely so he could kiss my thigh.

I whined in frustration.

“Patience, my darling.” He created a path down my thigh, almost to my knee and back again.

“Demetri. Shit.”

“Beg for me.”

“Need you, please!”

With a chuckle, he brought his mouth back to where I wanted it. This time, the sensations of his mouth on me felt so much stronger since I was already so aroused and every nerve tightened, causing my back to bow again. I fought the urge to release the sheet above my head as my ability to articulate words left me.

“You are so responsive.” His lips brushed against me, then he flattened his tongue and pressed it against my core. How could it feel so good to have him pay attention to a place other than that bundle of nerves? Another wave of warmth filled my lower belly and that coil tightened even more.

When his lips closed over that bundle of nerves once more, all thoughts abandoned me, including that small part of me that still wanted to be quiet so Carlisle’s guests wouldn’t hear what we were doing, and I writhed helplessly beneath his touch.

“That’s it, sweetheart, scream for me.” Demetri slid his fingers inside me, making a ‘come here’ motion a few times and that was all it took. The coil snapped and then my vision when from black to white and fireworks. I think I may have wailed, but I couldn’t be sure, because my ears buzzed with the pulse pounding in my ears.

When I regained my senses, he smoothed his hands down my trembling legs.

“Damn.”

“We’re not finished yet,” he said.

“What are you waiting for?” I asked breathlessly. No sooner were the words out of my mouth that I felt him climb up my body and then, after lining our bodies up, he snapped his hips forward, driving himself fully inside me. He hooked my knees over his elbows, giving himself deeper access, and rolled his hips. At this angle, he hit that spot inside me that had me moaning mindlessly once more

He kissed my face and neck as he thrust. With my legs draped over his arms, I was unable to move with him. All I could do was lie there and let him pound into me. The scent of his skin filled my nose and the chill of his body surrounded me, while the sounds of our bodies moving together and our ragged breathing became the soundtrack to our lovemaking. The only thing that existed for me right then was him and the pleasure he brought.

Sliding his mouth down my body he caught one of my nipples and sucked on it. I arched towards him, giving him as much access to my chest as I could. He created a trail across my chest to my other breast and nuzzled it, sucking, sighing as it moved beneath his touch.

“I think I might be forced to believe in a god now.” His voice so soft, I knew no one downstairs could hear, and laden with emotions. “Because only a god could create something so indescribable.”

My heart squeezed at his words and I swore I felt a tear leak from the corner of my eye, but I couldn’t be sure because of the t-shirt.

“Damn. Oh, damn, you feel so good,” Demetri groaned, louder this time.

As he moved so that we were chest to chest once more, his chest brushed against my nipples and I moaned, helpless against his attentions.

“You’re the perfect balance between mortal and supernatural.” He exhaled heavily, then continued. “Strong enough to stand up to me, but warm, oh so warm. I never knew fire could feel so incredible until I met you.”

He was talking an awful lot, but before I could think about it further, he angled his hips so that he stroked that bundle of nerves right above where we were joined and my thoughts scattered. The only thing I could focus on was him, the feel of him inside me, his marble body moving above me, and the sounds of our lovemaking.

When I spread my legs even further, he pressed his face against my neck, nipping lightly with his teeth. Something about the danger of having his venom coated teeth so close to a major blood vessel made the action so much more pleasurable and I responded accordingly.

“That’s my girl,” Demetri whispered harshly into my ear, his movements becoming faster and harder. “My name, say it.”

“Demetri!” At least that’s what I tried to say as I writhed beneath him.

“My god, you’re so beautiful,” he groaned before taking my earlobe between his teeth. He continued talking in another language, the words smooth on his tongue even as his breathing became heavier despite his lack of need for oxygen.

Something about hearing him speaking like that sent me spiraling into oblivion once more. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over me as the fireworks filled my vision once more. Somewhere far away, I felt Demetri climax, and his moan drove me even higher.

When I finally came back to myself, I lay there, gasping for breath and unable to move. With Demetri sprawled across me, this moment was absolutely perfect.

Finally, Demetri shifted so that he was sitting back on his heels, then carefully, he slipped my shirt over my head and up my arms. When I opened my eyes, he massaged my arms and shoulders carefully, encouraging circulation back into them. Sliding his hand under my shoulders, he encouraged me to sit up, then he helped me move my limbs. His hands trailed down to my legs and he rubbed circles along my thighs until the shaking stopped.

Once he was satisfied that I was okay, he kissed the tip of my nose. “You’re amazing, my darling.”

There was a bit of a commotion downstairs, people, humans from the sound of it, were talking in low tones and Demetri snickered, his lips pulling into a devilish grin.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Do you want to know who arrived earlier?”

“Who?”

“Members of the other pack.” His eyes sparkled with mirth.

“You’re so bad.” I slapped him weakly as he picked me up. That explained why he was so vocal and encouraged the same from me. He wanted them to know just how much we thoroughly enjoyed each other. Was it possible that he took more offense to their behavior towards me than I did?

“And you love that about me.” He grinned, clearly pleased with himself.

I wondered what he’d heard to make him so self-satisfied, then decided that it didn’t matter. Let Demetri revel in his petty vengeance. What they thought, it no longer mattered to me. Why should it? My life was as perfect as it had ever been, despite the threats stirring in the shadows.

“How about a shower?”

“Sounds good.” I leaned my head against his shoulder and he carried me from the bedroom.

Once inside the bathroom, Demetri set me on the floor and walked over to the shower.

While he was busy with getting the water to a temperature that suited him, I brushed my teeth. Once I rinsed my mouth out, Demetri walked over and kissed my lips softly. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he lifted me into the air and I didn’t bother fighting the laughter.

“Are you sure we’ll actually get any showering done?” I asked as he set me back down on my feet and crowded me into the spray. I motioned downwards and giggled. “I mean you obviously aren’t in here just to take a shower.”

“Hmm.” He bit his lip and looked at me from under his lashes. Droplets of water clung to the fine, black hairs like diamonds. “It’s called multitasking, my darling.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so.” Demetri kissed me softly. “I say so very much.”

I wrapped my arms around him, stroking his cheek, relieved that I could touch his marble skin, at least for the moment. Knowing him, that could change at any time, depending on whatever fancy caught his attention.

As the water poured down around us, I traced the muscles of his back, feeling their perfection, bunching and relaxing as he moved against me. Keeping my eyes closed against the spray, I tugged him closer and he sighed against my lips.

A wicked thought crossed my mind and I pulled away from his lip, kissing along his jaw, before biting down on the muscle connecting his shoulder to his neck as hard as I could. Demetri roared, almost deafening me for a moment, and jerked back, his face twisted into an animal expression, before he picked me, slamming me against the wall. My head cracked against the tiles and I saw stars for a second, but it was worth it considering his reaction. With a powerful thrust, he sheathed himself fully inside me, drawing a groan from my throat.

He gripped my hair tightly, tilting my head back, then his mouth closed over my jugular and he sucked, harder than he had earlier, using his teeth to bruise the skin even further. That mark would stay for a few hours at least.

“Damn, Demetri. Oh, shit!” I clung to him and dragged my mouth down his jaw. I caught his lips with mine, dragging my teeth along his lower lip and his chest rumbled as he kissed me roughly. God, but having him so completely out of control by my hand was an aphrodisiac like no other.

“Mine!” Demetri snarled as he withdrew almost all the way, then drove into me again.

“Yes, oh!” I started climbing that precipice much faster than I ever had before. Wanting to egg him on even further, I bit his earlobe and he bucked harder.

“You’re mine!” he growled deep in his chest. “Say it!”

I keened, struggling to speak, but I managed to get out a strangled, “Yours!”

After that, there was nothing, nothing except for Demetri. I dug my fingers in his hair, pushing it away from his face and looked into his eyes as he rolled his hips into mine. Every touch raced like fire through my veins and I finally lost my grip on the edge I’d been clinging to and through the haze of my own pleasure, I heard Demetri cry out and he shuddered against me.

Blinking, I allowed my eyes to focus as Demetri withdrew from my body. “Shit.”

“I love you.” He whispered so softly that I knew there was no way anyone downstairs could hear him, and he kissed me, so soft it was difficult to believe he’d just been pounding into me so roughly just a few minutes earlier.

I cradled his cheek, stroking his cheekbone with my thumb. “You’re everything to me.”

“Did you break the shower this time?” Emmett called.

“I think we’d better get ready to face the wolves,” Demetri sighed as he withdrew from my body. He brushed my hair out of my face and kissed me gently

I leaned my head against his silent heart and whispered, “Do we have to?”

“I’m afraid so.” He pressed his lips to the side of my head. “Carlisle can only hold them off for so long.”


	15. Chapter 15

After we dried off, Demetri selected a pair of black leather pants and a form fitting black t-shirt with a guitar name across the front for me and handed me a pair of motorcycle boots to go with it. For himself, he chose a black suit jacket and pants, no shirt. When I picked up the necklace he’d given me that first day, he took it from me and set it back on the dresser with a shake of his head. It was then that I noticed he wasn’t wearing his necklace either.

“Let’s kick their asses,” he breathed against my ear.

On my way downstairs, Demetri knocked once on Rosalie and Emmett’s room. Rosalie opened the door, with Haylla curled up asleep in her arms.

I brushed my fingers against her cheek and kissed her. My daughter was growing so fast. I knew this would happen because of watching Ness, but seeing my own little girl’s childhood speeding by twisted at my heart. My precious baby, I would do everything I could to make sure she never felt she was lacking.

“She was awake earlier, before you woke up,” Rosalie mouthed, “but after I gave her a bottle, she went right back to sleep.”

As still as she was, she didn’t seem to have been disturbed by our earlier activities, which I was grateful for. Nothing like having a precocious child with perfect recall wondering why papa was making mama scream.

Demetri caught that stubborn lock that seemed determined to remain in Haylla’s face at all times and let it fall back with the rest of her hair.

“I’ll bring her down in a bit if you want.”

“At your discretion,” Demetri said as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

Closing the door behind us, we headed down to the living room. Emmett and Jasper stood at the foot of the stairs, as if blocking access to the second floor, their easy stances, belying their readiness to attack if necessary.

Alice perched on the piano, with her legs folded up underneath her and she waved when she saw us. Esme sat on the piano bench, with Carlisle behind her, his hand on her shoulder.

The two vampires guarding the stairs moved out of our way so we could pass them.

The larger vampire grinned when I caught his gaze.

I pointed at him and said, “Don’t.”

“I didn’t need to say anything.” Emmett held up his hands as he moved just a few feet away from Jacob who was standing behind the couch I’d claimed. “Everyone already heard it. And I do mean everyone, even the humans.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“What’d you do to make him lose control like that?” His eyes gleamed with amusement.

“Emmett,” it was Esme this time. “Leah has already asked that you refrain from teasing her like that when her family is present. Respect her wishes.”

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry.”

The tension, which was already high to begin with, ratcheted up even more as we crossed the room.

I glanced over those who’d decided to crash in on my Saturday morning. The guilty parties were Sam, Paul, and Jared, as well as their imprints. They were situated on and around the couch I never used and the wolves’ expressions varied from mildly disturbed to downright angry, while their imprints looked terrified. Paul had his hand on Sam’s shoulder, as if to keep him pinned to his seat.

Surprisingly, I felt absolutely nothing when faced with the boy who’d ripped my life apart, not even a ghost of the pain I’d experienced before in his presence. As I contemplated this, another thought crossed my mind. Sam seemed unable to let me go, but the rest of us who were in love with people before we’d imprinted moved on fairly quickly. Why was it?

Demetri guided me over to the couch and I took the spot where I’d spent so much of the last two weeks while Demetri perched on the arm next to me.

Sue, who was sitting on the opposite end of the couch from where I was, raised her brows at me, silently asking if I was okay and I gave her a quick smile.

Seth nodded at my imprint in greeting before leaning his head back against our mother’s knee, and Embry grinned, then his eyes widened when he saw the hickey on my neck and he gestured to it.

I narrowed my eyes at Embry and he changed his mind about speaking.

The other wolves’ shocked expressions at my pack accepting Demetri so close to them made me bite back a laugh.

“What made you think it was acceptable to sleep with a vampire?” Sam burst out unable to contain himself anymore. He was almost shaking, he was so furious.

“I believe it was the same thing that made you think it was acceptable to sleep with her cousin,” Demetri replied as he ran his fingers through a few stay locks of my hair, the expression on his face begging for a reaction.

“You honestly expect us to believe that a wolf imprinted on a _bloodsucker_?! That is such shit!” Sam snarled.

“Why else would she allow me to touch her and for her pack to do nothing to stop me?” Demetri asked.

“I cannot accept this!” The other alpha leaped to his feet.

“Everyone, even my own parents, supported you when you imprinted!” I jumped up, getting into his face as I shouted. “Why don’t you give me the same goddamn courtesy? I don’t know why I thought you might, considering you didn’t wait even a week before chasing someone you knew was like my sister! You took my closest friend from me and you hid, like a goddamn coward! Now you think you get to judge me for _my_ imprint? You have no right, Samuel Uley! None! You tried to excuse your actions towards me by saying you had no choice! So you’re gonna have to accept that I had the same amount of choice in the matter that you did!”

“You might want to back off while you still can, because she’ll eat you alive, boy,” Demetri murmured from behind me, the grin evident in his voice. Despite not knowing Sam personally, Demetri understood him better than I thought, because that comment was well aimed.

Sam scowled at Demetri over my shoulder, then said to me, “At least I didn’t rub my sex life in your face!”

That did it. With a growl, I reared back and punched him as hard as I could, the crack of my knuckles against his nose reverberating through the room. The force of the blow sent him falling back heavily onto his ass and I towered over him, reveling in the feeling of releasing so much rage. He stared up at me in shock as he held his face.

“Leah!” Emily gaped at me, equally surprised.

Were they really so deluded about my feelings that they thought I would still in love with Sam even after hearing that I’d imprinted? I didn’t want to remain in love with him and imprinting on Demetri had freed me from whatever emotions remained.

I heard my pack shift behind me, preparing to stand if I needed them.

“I can’t help what you overhear when you show up somewhere uninvited.” I flexed my hand, unable to believe just how great it’d felt to see Sam fall like he had.

“Burn!” Embry whispered as Quil snickered.

Sam got to his feet, his hands balled into fists. “He isn’t capable of emotion and you’ll never be more than his slave, his whore.”

Quicker than I could blink, Demetri had Sam back on the floor, one arm twisted beneath him, with his knee in Sam’s chest and his hand tight around the wolf’s throat. A low snarl rumbled in Demetri’s chest and a snarl curled his lips dangerously.

Sam choked, struggling for breath and Emily screamed.

Paul and Jared moved to defend Sam, but Demetri slammed them both away before they could even think to phase. He then returned his attention to the other alpha as he lay gasping for breath on the ground, going so far as to press his knee against Sam’s throat.

“Demetri, let him go. He’s not worth a fight.”

In an instant, he straightened and stared Sam down, his expression blank.

“Know this, if you ever speak to or about Leah like that again, I will make you give up on the prospect of ever dying before I finally grant you mercy,” Demetri said coolly as he brushed off the front of his jacket with an elegant flick of his wrist. “You don’t own her and you have no say in her life. I suggest you remember that.”

Without a backwards glance, he returned to his seat and I sat down beside him, my pulse thudding in my neck. This was the vampire so many feared, the one who could rip apart his fellow vampires without any guilt. Was I insane for not being afraid of this side of him?

“Sam, sit down,” Sue cut in, her voice steely.

Sam turned to her, betrayal written across his face.

“Enough!” Jake finally had enough and he drew himself up to his full height. “Leah is a part of my pack and I stand with her, so know this, you’re gonna have to go through me if you want to pick a fight with them. Unless you wanna take this outside, take a seat.”

Sam glowered for a few moments, then slumped back down next to Emily. She placed her hand on his back, in an effort to calm him, but her expression was shuttered and I swore I heard her breath catch in her throat.

“Good boy. Sit,” Demetri mocked.

“You think you’re better than I am, don’t you?” Sam rubbed his abused throat as he spoke.

“I am better than you are, in every respect, but I think we’ve already established that.” He looked at Sam down his nose, that cruel curl of his lips making it clear exactly just how he wanted Sam to interpret what he said.

“Goddamned leech.”

“Alright, everyone, back off.” Emmett crossed his arms, flexing them. “Yeah I know, you think it’s weird as hell that Leah ended up in a freaky magic relationship with this jackass, but cut her some slack, will ya? She’s dealing with enough keeping him in line.”

It was strange, seeing this more violent side to my imprint. I was so used to the way he treated me that it was jarring being reminded of just how capable he was of committing murder. It was so easy for him to fall into that role.

Maybe I was insane, but I felt no fear towards him. Was I crazy for it? But he was always so gentle with me, so conscientious about how he treated me, it wasn’t difficult for me to forget about the swath of destruction he’d left behind him.

“How do we know he won’t turn on her like that?” Jared asked.

“Glad to know you’re so worried about my well-being.” I crossed my arms and scowled at him.

“To harm her would be to harm myself.” Demetri trailed his fingers along my spine. “And I’m not in the habit of purposefully causing myself pain.”

An awkward silence descended, broken only by heartbeats and breathing.

“I guess one good thing about all this is that Leah doesn’t have to worry about getting pregnant,” Kim commented suddenly, looking around. “I mean having a hybrid baby would be scary, not knowing if you’re gonna survive the pregnancy or not.”

“Seriously? You’re gonna bring that up now?” I looked at Kim and raised an eyebrow, irritated now more than I’d ever been with her.

“Whether or not Leah can have children should be something no one discusses unless she brings it up first,” Demetri said. “To do otherwise is not just rude, it can also lend itself to being cruel.”

The human women wilted under Demetri’s judgment while the wolves visibly bristled. Demetri tilted his head, staring down his nose at them once more as if daring them to do or say anything against him.

I heard Rosalie moving around upstairs and glanced at Demetri. An unholy light entering his burgundy eyes and he grinned, causing Kim to sink back even further into her seat at the sight of his razor sharp teeth so exposed. When he noticed Kim’s reaction, his smile widened.

“You really are being a little shit, you know that right?”

“Then tell me to stop.” He looked at me from under his lashes. Damn him! How the hell did he look so devilish and yet so innocent at the same time? That smile alone should be illegal. “You’re staring, my darling. It’s not exactly an incentive to behave myself.”

I backhanded him in the stomach and he chuckled.

Rosalie dashed into the room and stopped in front of me, Haylla cradled in her arms.

Haylla blinked at me sleepily, then smiled around her bottle, wide awake now, and held out her arms for me. I took my daughter from Rosalie and the vampire flashed over to her mate’s side, a smug smile on her face.

For a moment, everything else faded away as I examined my baby. She’d grown more than I thought. A little less baby fat clung to her face and her hands looked more like her father’s, shaped perfectly for playing the piano one day Her hair hung around her face in perfect, soft waves and I couldn’t resist the urge to run my fingers through them.

“What the hell?” Paul nearly left his seat, distracting me from my cataloging.

“What your language. She can understand you.” I kissed the top of Haylla’s head and brushed that one stubborn lock of hair out of her face. “Her name is Haylla Rosalin and she was born yesterday, but she’s already smarter than you are.”

Haylla wrinkled her nose playfully at Rosalie when I said her middle name, causing the blonde woman to smile.

“It looks like you’re in a good mood this morning, sweetheart,” Demetri caught one of her feet, so little in comparison to his long fingers, and tugged on it playfully.

Haylla gave him a side eye and jerked her foot away before giggling at him.

“Look at her, just twenty-seven hours old and she’s already got a bit of sass going on.” Demetri grinned at me. “I wonder where she got that from.”

“That sounds like you.”

“I’ll have you know that most of the time, I’m very polite and diplomatic.”

“And today was what? An aberration?” I snorted.

He waved his hand towards me, “You just proved my point, my darling.”

All at once the other pack caught Haylla’s full attention and she looked each of them over, studying them carefully. She looked at Demetri, then at me, and pointed to them, her blue eyes confused and a little fearful.

“One would think they’d never seen a child before,” Demetri whispered loudly as he tapped Haylla’s nose. “I think I reacted better than that when I learned I was going to be a father and I believed for a thousand years it was not a possibility.”

“I just- I mean. It’s a lot to take in,” Rachel struggled for words. “Two weeks ago we didn’t even know she’d imprinted much less gotten pregnant.”

“Not to mention that even though she was dealing with pregnancy hormones, she kept quiet about how much pain she was in when he went back with his coven for three weeks,” Seth cut in. “She didn’t try to talk him into staying, or chase after him. She let him go.”

Something about the way Seth spoke caught my attention and made me straighten. This wasn’t the happy-go-lucky kid Seth normally was, this was the brother who had been in my corner even when no one else was, the one who hated Sam almost as much as I did before I’d left his pack, and I wondered who was more eager to punish Sam for his actions against me, Demetri or Seth. At the moment, it seemed to be a pretty even tie.

Demetri rubbed my back and pressed his cheek to my hair. Knowing that he’d caused me pain, however inadvertently, during his time back in Italy still bothered him. I looked up at him and smiled, trying to tell him as best I could that it was in the past, a barely remembered hurt that his presence had healed.

“I’d like to see any other wolf manage to do that,” Quil said softly. “Hell, if it were me, I’d have chased my imprint wherever she went, but not Leah. She allowed him to leave her, to put an ocean and a continent between them because she refused to allow him to force her to beg. I saw her thoughts, felt her pain, even though she tried so hard to hide it, to keep what had happened a secret, and I can’t imagine the strength it took to do what she did.”

Sam flinched, hearing the accusations in their words. His fists clenched against his thighs and his face twisted with rage.

I’d never expected this from him. Hell, I thought he’d be happy knowing that I wasn’t pining after him anymore, that it no longer ate at me to see him happy with someone I once considered a sister. So why did he act like he still had a claim over me, like knowing I’d fallen in love with someone else was a betrayal to him?

A glance at Emily told me that she seemed to be in a state of shock. Her face was pale, her eyes wide, and her throat bobbed with the effort to swallow. A suspect sheen filled her eyes and I wondered what was going through her head.

For a moment, I puzzled over it, then it became clear. To see the man she was bound to for the rest of their lives react like this to his ex getting involved with someone else, it had to be difficult for her, if not somewhat humiliating.

Instead of the triumph I thought I’d feel if something like this ever happened, all I felt was pity. Just how much stock had she put into Sam’s theories about why he’d imprinted on her instead of me? If she’d put a lot, her whole world must be caving in around her.

Haylla leaned her head back and looked up at me. I kissed her forehead and her eyes crinkled, then handed me her empty bottle. Demetri took the bottle from me and set it on the coffee table.

Haylla suddenly grinned widely and pointed to the door to the river right as it burst open and Ness barreled through, leaping into Jake’s arms. Her parents followed much more slowly and a look at Edward’s face told me that he was torn between wanting to laugh and something akin to horror. Once again, I wondered what was going through people’s heads to make him look like that.

“‘Sup, Ness?” Jake wrapped his arms around her.

“Daddy made me wait this morning before coming up to the house even though I heard your car pull into the drive ages ago,” Ness complained. “It wasn’t until I felt Haylla pulling on me that he decided we could come up.”

Emmett snorted and I shot him a glare.

“Why’d he do that?” Jake struggled to keep his face neutral.

“Something about having ‘family time.’ But all we did was play a silly board game, which would have been more fun with you.” Ness rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed with her father.

Sam stood up suddenly. “I think we’d better go.” His jaw was stiff and he refused to look at anyone. I knew him well enough to know he was devastated. A very small part of me wanted to feel sorry for him, but I knew it was more out of habit than anything. He’d brought this on himself.

“Rachel, if you want to stay longer, I’ll take you home later,” Jake offered.

“Um, sure. Why not?” Rachel settled back down.

Paul looked uncertainly from his alpha to his imprint.

“If you want to go, I think I’ll be fine. I think Jake can keep me safe. Unless you want to stay?”

“I’ll be outside.” Paul headed out the door after the other wolves, but he sat in the doorway instead of following Jared to the woods.

A few minutes later, I heard Emily’s car start up then pull out of the driveway.


	16. Chapter 16

Almost immediately, the tension that had been building disappeared almost completely. Rosalie left the room and came back with a laptop while Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Ness, and my pack, headed outside. I saw a football under Emmett’s arm, so I figured they had figured out some sort of game to play.

Bella sat in the chair on the other side of the room from me and folded her hands in her lap.

Esme crossed the room and gestured to the seat beside Rachel. “May I sit?”

“Sure.” Rachel seemed stunned that a vampire sought out her company.

“I couldn’t help but notice the necklace you were wearing and I was wondering if you’d be willing to tell me it’s significance.”

“Seriously?”

“I like knowing about our neighbors, but there’s only so much you can get from a google search and teenage boys.”

“True.” Rachel laughed.

It was strange, watching the imprint of the most volatile wolf in the pack make friends with a vampire. But did Esme even count as a vampire, I mean really? Sure, she probably killed people before, but she was so sweet, it was easy to forgive her mistakes, because in her case, that’s what they really were, accidents.

Finally bored with the inactivity of just sitting on my lap, Haylla patted my hand before pointing to the floor and reluctantly, I set my daughter down. Immediately, she rolled over onto her stomach and with slightly unsure movements, she placed her hands flat on the floor.

“I think she’s trying to crawl,” Demetri murmured.

In response to Demetri’s words, Alice disappeared, then returned with her camera. “Come on, Haylla! Can you crawl? Please?” She held up her camera and started snapping pictures.

Slowly, Haylla pulled herself up. After just a few seconds hesitation, she started crawling away, giggling at her newfound freedom.

“Where are you going, darling?” Demetri asked as he knelt on the floor and shucked his jacket. As he moved, I noticed a faint, but jagged line around his left shoulder, as though it had been ripped off part way and then hurriedly reattached. Trying to imagine the sort of pain he’d been in when it happened caused me to wince. Just how many fights had he been in?

Haylla looked at him over her shoulder and then crawled faster. Demetri stretch out and caught her by the ankle. Dragging up to his chest, he lay down on his back, laughing. Haylla squealed, a huge smile on her face as she beat her hands against his chest.

“No, no, you’re my prisoner!”

Haylla made a sound almost like, ‘no’ as she wiggled in his grasp.

He allowed her to break his hold and she pinned one of his upper arms to the floor. With a crow of triumph, she sat on his chest and kicked him in the face. Demetri snarled playfully, causing Haylla to stare at him in shock for a few seconds before she bared her teeth and let out a baby growl.

I heard Alice’s camera click as she darted around, trying to get the best angles for her little project.

“You know how puppies sound when they’re trying to learn to howl?” Rachel asked. “That’s what she reminds me of.”

“Oh, my god! You’re right!” I laughed. “I didn’t even think about that.”

“She’s not a puppy,” Demetri said. “She’s a wolf cub.”

Haylla started and pointed to me excitedly.

“Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll phase as well. Then you’ll really be like your mother.”

He snapped his teeth and she snarled again as she launched herself into his face.

“Hey! No pulling my hair! I’m serious, Haylla!”

Haylla giggled and twisted away from him. Demetri rolled onto his side, catching her foot once more, before tucking her loosely against his chest with one arm. With a determined set of her mouth, she wormed herself out of his grip again, then crawled over him before disappearing around the couch.

“I can hear you, sweetheart.” He got to his knees and braced his hands on his thighs. “Shall I chase you?”

There was muffled laughter from Haylla, as though she was covering her face with her hands to try to quiet herself.

“Very well. If that’s what you want.”

I could hear Haylla’s hands and knees hitting the floor as she crawled away quickly, then Demetri stood up, pretending to follow the sound of her movements. With his gift, he would know exactly where she was, but that would cut out on her fun, so he decided to play along.

“It’s hard to believe that the guy playing on the floor with a baby is the same one who had Sam pinned to the floor,” Rachel said to me. “He’s so, I don’t know. I was watching how he treated you and even though he was acting like an ass to everyone else, the way he touched you, he was gentle and you showed no fear, not even a little.”

“The way you see him now, that’s how he is with me all the time,” I replied. “He doesn’t scare me. He hasn’t from the first time he spoke to me” I smiled widely. “He has his faults, but he’s more than perfect for me.”

“He brings out parts of Leah that I thought were lost forever when she phased,” Sue spoke up. “As strange as it sounds, he is a good man. I never thought I’d say that about a vampire, especially a red-eyed one, but that’s my opinion of him.”

Paul snorted, causing all of us to look at him, and he turned away, a little embarrassed that he’d made the sound out loud.

“If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to talk to Paul for a bit.” Sue stood up and walked out to where Paul was sitting on the porch. “Come with me.” She then led them a little ways away, just out of earshot, before she started talking.

Once she was sure that Paul wasn’t in any danger from my mother’s wrath, Rachel turned her attention back to me, her eyes narrowed in thought. “Were you two having sex when we arrived? I mean I heard that bit right before you came downstairs, but that wasn’t the only time, was it?”

“Let’s just say certain people don’t know what a refectory period is.”

“No wonder Sam got so pissed.” Rachel chuckled. “He threw a fit over something as soon as he got close to the house, but wouldn’t say what it was.”

“I don’t get it,” I admitted. “After everything, why did it matter to him if I was in bed with someone else?”

Rachel sighed, “Honestly? I think he feels a bit of ownership over you because you were each others’ firsts. I believe he had it in his head that you would always love him and want him, but now that you don’t, it’s shaken him. He’ll deny it if asked, but that’s what I’ve seen since I came back. Now that you’re so obviously with someone else, and very happily from what I’ve seen, he’s having a hard time accepting that he no longer has any place of importance in your life.”

“I imprinted. What else did he expect?”

Haylla squealed from another room and Demetri laughed.

“I think they got it into their heads too deeply that you were infertile and because of that, would never imprint and now he’s having to accept that he was wrong about you.” Rachel sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “Honestly, when they first told me about that, I thought they were counting their chickens before they hatched. I mean, no one like you has ever existed before, so how could they know anything about you?”

“I’m just tired of the drama,” I sighed. “I joined Jake’s pack to get away from everything. But they just can’t leave me alone. No matter what I do, they can’t let me walk away.”

“It’s that ownership thing again.”

“Well, he can forget it because I was never his to own. It’s making it to where I have a hard time feeling like I belong on the rez.”

“Will you be staying with the Cullens than?”

“I’m not sure. His former coven is really scary and not someone you wanna face without a lot of back up. I think right now we’re trying to get past that before we make any decisions.”

“Understandable.”

“Whatever we do, I don’t want to go too far, at least for a few decades. After that, we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess.”

Rachel sighed. “It’s so strange, you talking about decades like they mean nothing.”

“Technically I am immortal. When I was pregnant, I thought I’d climb out of my skin because I couldn’t phase and that was after only two weeks. I don’t think I could last long enough to go back to being human even if I wanted to.”

She gave me a searching look. “Do you want to?”

I thought about it before answering. “If you’d asked me before meeting Demetri, I would have said ‘yes,’ without a doubt. But I can’t imagine a future without him and our daughter in it anymore. It hurts to think about.”

“So, what’s it like, being a wolf? I mean, Paul’s told me, but I want to hear from your perspective.”

“The speed, when you’re in wolf form, it’s exhilarating, especially when you’re the only one phased. It’s just you and the forest.” I closed my eyes, remembering how it felt. “Your emotions are blunted, more easily dealt with. There’s only anger, and hunger, contentment, and anything human is so much less important unless you make it the focus of your thoughts. You’re fierce, and when you’re a part of a pack who truly cares about you, defended. You know they have your back and that gives you strength. You can feel it, pulsing through your veins with every heartbeat.”

“Wow. Now I wish I was a wolf. The way you talk about it, it sounds amazing, to know that these people always have your back.”

“The downside is that you’d have to put up with a bunch of teenage boys in your head.”

“I think I’d put up with it if I got to feel what you just described.” She cocked her head. “Tell me more.”

We were interrupted a little while later when Haylla crawled into the room, her smile as wide as ever, and headed straight for my legs.

“What are you doing, sweetheart?” I asked.

Haylla grinned widely and pointed towards Demetri who was on his knees, peering around the corner of the other couch. His normally perfect hair was tousled, some of it hanging in his face, so much like Haylla’s that it made me smile.

“That’s cheating, Haylla, using Mama as a safe zone.”

“Haylla, are you not playing fair?”

She looked up at me from under her lashes, an ‘all too innocent to really be innocent’ expression on her face.

“I can’t make up my mind who she bears the greatest resemblance of,” Rachel commented. “I mean, most of the time she looks more like you, but that face she just made, I swear I saw him make that exact same expression earlier.”

“Oh, I know. Trust me.”

“Haylla, I’m going to get you!” Demetri said in a sing song as he started crawling towards her.

She shrieked and darted around the couch.

“Haylla, don’t break the couch,” I admonished.

Suddenly, Esme jumped up and darted towards the kitchen.

“Is something wrong?” Rachel mouthed.

I shrugged. I was tempted to head to the kitchen myself. I hadn’t eaten since the night before and after the morning I’d had, I was starting to feel it. I could smell something baking and I knew Esme wouldn’t get angry if I swiped a little bit.

Demetri caught Haylla by the ankle and swung her up as he stood. She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck, then tucked her head beneath his chin as she yawned.

“Are you done already?” He seemed surprised by this.

“Demetri, she’s a baby, they sleep a lot,” I said.

“It’s been a thousand years since I was around babies. The last one being my youngest sister.” Demetri rubbed Haylla’s back as he headed for the stairs. “I think it’s time that rocking chair in her room was put to use.”

Esme returned with what looked like a tea tray, a teapot, with three tea cups, and a heaping plate of little sandwiches and cookies. She set her burden on the coffee table and poured a cup for Rachel, then one for me.

“Something I’ve missed about being human is a cup of tea with friends,” Esme explained as she put a selection of food on plates for each of us. “When I was growing up, it wasn’t uncommon for a lady to come around and being offered a cup while they ate a slice of pie or cake.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever done something like this before,” Rachel admitted. “But I think I might have to start.”

Esme smiled widely as she tucked her feet under her.

Sue joined us and Esme leaned forward to pour her a cup as well.

As we drank our tea and ate, Esme favored us with stories of pretending to be human and narrow escapes of people almost seeing something they shouldn’t have. It felt nice, spending time with women and gossiping, something I hadn’t done much of in the last while. There was no talk of our partners, or imprinting, or destiny like most conversations I’d been a part of since I’d first phased. It was just women sitting around sharing stories.

At one point, Rachel started laughing so hard, she started coughing on her tea. Esme grabbed a napkin from the tray and handed it to her.

“Thank you.” She wiped the tea from her cheek. “I never thought any of you were like that.”

“Those are some of the tamer stories,” Rosalie said with a grin.

“Oh, wow.” Rachel laughed again.

“What about the time Alice wanted to take home ec and decided to practice at home?” Rosalie commented.

“That poor pie. She destroyed it.” Esme covered her mouth with her hand as if mourning the destroyed food.

“I’d never baked before, at least that I can remember,” Alice defended herself as she danced into the room and perched on top of the piano. “How was I supposed to know that the crust wasn’t supposed to be black?”

“I’d eat just about anything, but a pie like that?” I pulled a face at the thought. “I think I’d sooner eat road kill.”

“It wasn’t just the crust that was the problem,” Rosalie said. “All the filling boiled away and stuck to the bottom of the oven.”

“We came in from hunting to find the whole house filled with smoke,” Esme sighed. “I made her clean the kitchen at human speed.”

“And then she made me drop the class.” She swung her legs against the side of the piano like a child. “It’s okay though. I decided I didn’t want to learn to cook anyway.”

“Speaking of cooking, do you remember that time we decided to make Mom a birthday cake?” Rachel grinned at me, shaking her head. “How the hell did we get batter on the ceiling?”

“I think you and Rebecca started throwing it at each other because Rebecca started teasing you about something.”

“Oh, right.”

 

Later that afternoon, as Rachel climbed into the back seat of Jake’s car, Esme called, “Feel free to visit any time you want!”

“I will definitely take you up on that!” Rachel waved.

Before Jake put the car into gear, I ran up to Rachel’s window and tapped on it. She looked up in surprise and rolled it down.

“I was wondering if you think it’d be alright to bring Haylla by for a while tomorrow? Demetri will be out hunting with some of the Cullens anyway and I’d like to introduce Haylla to the other half of her heritage. Not jut the wolves, but the other parts too, the stories, our histories, our culture.” I wanted to see Haylla dressed up in our traditional regalia with a drum, to watch her dance and know that she was a part of a proud history, not just as the daughter of a vampire, or the child of a wolf, but as a Quileute. She was so much more than a hybrid. She was the descendant of the strongest chief in our history and I wanted her to know all about it.

“Oh, sure! We’ll just have to make sure no one not in the know sees her, but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue since I haven’t really reconnected with anyone not connected to the wolf pack since I came home.”

“Great.”

“We’ll make a day of it and he can find you when he gets back.”

“Sounds good.” I stepped back and Jake started backing out of the driveway.

“You seem happy,” Carlisle said to Esme as the car pulled away.

“What can I say? I like making friends.” Esme seemed very pleased with herself and it made me wonder just how lonely she really was. Being such a warm and friendly person must make it difficult to conform to this disconnected lifestyle.


	17. Chapter 17

“Demetri! Time to go!”

I groaned as Ness’s voice woke me.

“I’m sleeping,” Demetri mumbled against my shoulder. “Can’t you see it? Fast asleep.”

“Come on!” Ness jumped on the bed. “We’re leaving soon so get dressed.”

“Don’t you dare pull down those blankets,” I said, tightening my grip on the covers.

“Why?” Ness asked.

“Because we’re naked,” I replied.

“Why are you naked?” Ness flipped off the bed and landed on the floor.

“Because I like to sleep naked.” I pulled the blanket over my head.

“Renesmee, please, wait outside so we can get dressed.” Demetri sat up, but kept his hand on the blanket so it wouldn’t slide down. His movements caused the sheet to slip down my head and I groaned, irritated by that.

“You’re naked too?” Ness sounded scandalized.

“Renessmee, out.”

With a little huff, Ness left the room and Demetri started climbing out of bed.

“Come on, darling. You’ve got plans too, don’t you?”

Rachel. I was going to go over to her place today. I jumped out of bed and ran for the shower, leaving Demetri laughing behind me.

“I take it that joining you is out of the question?” Demetri called.

“Shut up!” I shouted as I turned on the water.

After the quickest shower I’d taken in a long time, I blow dried my hair just enough to cut most of the dampness then threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.. As I stomped into a pair of boots, Demetri kissed the back of my neck.

“You’d better get going yourself,” I said. “I think the Cullens want to leave soon.”

“Don’t make me go,” he pleaded, pressing his cheek against my back. “Animal blood it horrible.”

“Demetri.”

“No second thoughts? No having mercy on me?”

“Get dressed.”

“Yes, dear,” he pouted as he headed for the bathroom. “I’m only doing this because I love you.”

“And I love you, but your red eyes, they’ve got to go.”

“You’re so stubborn.”

“I have to be, to keep up with you.” I said as I headed over to Haylla’s bedroom.

She was just opening her eyes when I leaned over her crib. “Morning, sweetheart.”

Haylla blinked at me, then smiled as she held out her arms.

“Do you want to see Rachel again?” I asked as I picked her up and she kicked her legs in response as her smile widened. “She said we can go over so you and I are going over there today while Papa goes hunting.”

I heard the shower shut off and Demetri cursed under his breath.

Haylla tilted her head, then pointed in her father’s direction.

“Demetri, watch your language. Haylla just heard you.”

“My apologies, Haylla. You weren’t meant to hear that.”

She grinned mischievously in response

“Don’t you dare start talking like that, young lady. If you do, I will be very upset with you,” I said as I set Haylla on the changing table and picked up the clothes Alice had decided to set out the night before, a pair of jean overalls and a sturdy top, along with a pair of tiny boots and a jacket, the perfect outfit for going to La Push Beach on a dreary day.

Haylla tugged on her jacket in confusion.

“You have to wear it in case humans see you. Babies need jackets and if they think I’m not taking good care of you, they might try something mean. It’s not like they can actually do anything, but it’s better to not attract too much attention.”

I carried Haylla down the stairs and was met at the bottom with Rosalie holding up a set of car keys and a small cooler. “It’s Carlisle’s car. He won’t be using it today and there’s already a car seat in there that you can use and most people already know the car’s his so no one will really think twice about seeing it now after Jake. Also the cooler has some blood bags in it, just in case she gets hungry.”

“Thanks.” I took the keys and cooler from her. “Good luck with Demetri. He’s not happy about having to do this.”

Rosalie laughed and gave a little wave as I headed towards the door.

Haylla looked around the car, her eyes bright with curiosity, though she frowned when I buckled her into the baby seat.

“You won’t have to use it for very long, just until you can ride in an adult seat without me getting pulled over by a cop. And don’t chew through the straps, please.”

Haylla giggled and pretended to bite down, then settled back into the seat.

As we drove along, I glanced in my rear view mirror to see Haylla twisting her head back and forth, trying to see as much as she could.

“You don’t have to worry about missing anything, Haylla. We’ll come this way again,” I said.

When I said that, she settled down and stared out the window nearest to her, her blue eyes wide.

Rachel met us at the door with a smile on her face. “Hey, you two! So I don’t have a whole lot planned today, but I was wondering, how do you feel about going to the tide pools this evening?”

“That sounds really great. I think Haylla would enjoy that.”

We spent most of the day with Rachel as she ran errands.

“It’s nice,” I commented as we left the grocery store. “Doing normal, human things for once. It reminds me that the world still turns as it always did before I got lost in the madness.”

 

At the tide pools, Haylla couldn’t get enough of watching the tiny worlds captured there. She kept patting my cheek and pointing to whatever creature she saw that she found interesting, demanding a name. Her smile told me she was enjoying herself immensely.

“They’re pretty, aren’t they?” I held Haylla close to the water. She reached down, trying to touch the anemone growing there, and I grabbed her hand. “But we shouldn’t touch them. This is their home and they can get hurt if we bother them. If they get hurt they can die.”

Haylla looked at me sharply, brows furrowed.

“If they die, they go away forever and that would be sad, wouldn’t it?”

She clutched her hands close to her chest, horrified. At least for now, the thought of killing innocents was abhorrent to her. Now, if only it could stay that way.

“You don’t have to stop looking at them. We just have to be gentle.”

“It’s so strange, talking to a child the way you have to talk to her,” Rachel commented.

“It’s a little weird, I guess, but I wouldn’t change her for anything.” I kissed her temple and pressed my forehead to hers for a moment. She was my imprint’s baby, the thing that got me to take care of myself that last miserable week before he returned.

“May I hold her?”

“Sure. If she wants you to.” I looked down at Haylla. “How about it? Do you want Rachel to hold you for a bit?”

She smiled in response and held out her arms, clearly over learning that things could die.

“Hey!”

We both looked up to find Paul running towards us.

“Sam’s called a Council meeting. It’s starting in about ten minutes.”

“Why?”

“Do you really have to ask?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, “We may as well head over there.”

When we arrived, I was greeted with a variety of glares or disturbed expressions. Billy’s mouth was set in a firm line, while Old Quil just stared at me.

Haylla shrank back and held her hands out to me. As soon as she was in my arms, she gripped my shirt as tightly as she could without tearing it and pressed her cheek against my heart, was she curled in on herself. My baby was terrified and that enraged me.

I walked over to the side my pack had claimed as theirs and sat down on the log between Jake and Seth. Once I was seated, my pack shifted around me so that I was protected on all sides.

“We’re gathered here to discuss the information that Jacob and his pack kept from everyone else,” Billy started.

“A vampire imprint?” Old Quil couldn’t keep the disgust out of his voice.

“We don’t choose our imprints,” I said, struggling to keep my voice even. “When it happened, it frightened me that fate would pair me with a vampire who was only there because he’d planned on killing us, but I also knew that I had no choice in the matter.” I kissed Haylla’s hair and she looked up at me, blue eyes wide. “But, given the chance, I wouldn’t change it now. I couldn’t. If I did, I would lose my daughter and I don’t think I could bear that.”

“We just want to know why didn’t you tell anyone sooner?” Billy’s dark eyes bored into mine.

“Because he left the day after it happened and I was in too much pain to talk about it. When he returned, I was already very visibly pregnant and that would have brought on a whole knew load of stress I was in no condition to deal with,” I replied.

“So there was no hidden agenda?” Billy continued with his questions. “You weren’t trying to prove a point?”

“No.” White hot rage shot through me and I glowered at Sam, who shrank back from my glare, for a moment before returning my attention to Billy. “Since learning of Haylla’s existence, my focus has been on trying to keep myself healthy so that I could deliver her and now, it’s on trying to keep her safe. Ask Jake. He’s been in my head. He knows.”

“Haylla’s survival has been our main concern from day one,” Jake added. “I talked it over with Carlisle and he agreed that having all of you around while Leah was pregnant could have caused her to lose Haylla, which is why we tried to keep everyone away until after the baby was born.”

Haylla finally relaxed in my arms and looked around at the other pack. As she thoroughly examined the wolves, I watched their faces, searching for since of an imprint. When she locked eyes with the last wolf, I breathed a sigh of relief because she wasn’t bound to them either.

Suddenly, she turned to look at me and pulled on her hair, then pointed to Old Quil.

I thought I understood the question so I said, “Humans hair turns white when they get old.”

She tilted her head, confused, then pointed to herself.

“No. You won’t get old. You’ll live a long time, but your body won’t age once you’re fully grown.”

“White hair means I’m near death,” Old Quil explained. He narrowed his eyes at me. “As it should be.”

“Not everyone was born to die after a century of life,” I retorted.

Haylla inhaled sharply as understanding washed over her and she pointed at Sue, panic written all over her face.

“She’s human too.”

She pointed to Sue again, then back at me, an almost hopeful expression on her face.

“No, she can’t become a wolf now. Once you pass twenty-five, you can’t turn.”

“What’s wrong, darling?” Demetri asked as he left the trees. Just like Rachel had said, he’d found me after his hunting trip.

“She became curious about aging and she doesn’t like the answers,” I replied.

He flashed over to us and held out his hands. Haylla leaned over, allowing him to lift her up. She patted his chest, then pointed to my mother, then back at him.

“I think she wants to know if Mom can become a vampire.”

“I don’t think your grandmother wants to turn, Haylla. She might tolerate me because of my connection to her daughter, but she dislikes vampires as a whole and to force that upon her would be cruel,” Demetri said gently.

Haylla shook her head, tears forming in her eyes, and my heart broke.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart.”

Blinking, she touched her cheeks, shocked to find that they were wet.

“Humans cry with they’re in pain,” I said as I stood up and placed my hand on her back.

“Haylla, darling, listen to me. If your grandmother remains in good health and she doesn’t get into any accidents, we still have a few years left with her.”

Haylla shook her head and jabbed her finger into his chest.

“I won’t turn her if she doesn’t want to become a vampire.”

Haylla looked at Sue hopefully.

“No, honey. I couldn’t be a vampire. I want to be human.”

Haylla’s lips trembled and she shook her head.

“It is the way of the world, sweet girl. Humans are born, they live, and they die. It’s how it is supposed to be.”

That was all it took for Haylla to start crying. It wasn’t a baby’s wail, but an adult’s heartbroken weeping as her perception of the world fell apart around her.

In that moment, I hated how fast she matured. She wasn’t supposed to understand this, or ask these sorts of questions for years. And yet, here she was, just over two days old, finding out that the people she cared about were going to die in a few decades.

“Haylla. Haylla, look at me,” Demetri said after a few moments

Haylla sniffed and met his gaze.

“Let me tell you a secret. After the people we love die, they live on, in our memories, in our love and as long as we remember them, they remain with us. I promise. I had a sister, my youngest sister. I was always very protective of her so I found her after I turned and she too decided she wanted to remain human. Though her death still hurts, I remember her life and then it’s not so bad because she was happy. And in the end, that’s all I wanted for her, was for her to be happy.”

Haylla nodded sadly before looking over at Sue.

“Do you want me to hold you?” Sue asked and Haylla nodded once more.

Demetri crossed over to her and set our child in her arms before returning to my side.

“Would you like for me to tell you a story?” Sue asked Haylla. “How about one of the legends not connected to the wolves?”

Haylla nodded, her former curiosity slowly returning to her eyes.

“Tell her about Dask’iya’,” I said.

“It’s a scary story, but it’s about a very brave little girl who saved the Quileute children.”

When she heard that it was scary, Haylla seemed abit more eager.

“Once, not far from here, but a very long time ago, there lived a woman named Dask’iya’. She was as big as a man and very strong, but she was very wicked, because you see, she used to steal children from the village and them to Yaq’ilis creek, going up the Quileute river. There, she would put the children together into a cage. To keep them from running away, she put tree gum in their eyes so that they couldn’t see anything. Because they were blinded, the horrible Dask’iya’ could make them whatever she wanted! There, away in her hide out, Dask’iya’ would build a big fire and put rocks into the fire to make it hotter, so she cook the children whole!”

Haylla gasped, her mouth in an ‘oh.’

“This went on for a long time and everyone lived in fear that one day Dask’iya’ would come for their babies because Dask’iya’ was smart and no one could catch her!

“One day, the greedy woman caught many children. After she’d blinded the children, she put her rocks into the fire as she always did when preparing to cook the children. Instead of keeping them in their cage as she normally did, she left them by the fire because she didn’t have the room in her cages for all of them.

“‘They can’t do anything,’ she said. ‘They’re blind and I’m much stronger than they are.’

“But one girl got an idea. She knew that the gum could be melted with heat, so, she held out her hands and warmed them by the fire. Once her hands were so hot she could barely stand it, she placed them over her blinded eyes, and to her relief, the gum started to melt away.

“While this brave girl was trying to free herself,Dask’iya’started dancing and singing, celebrating her good fortune.

“‘The fire is getting hot, and the rocks will soon be ready!’ she shouted gleefully. ‘I will soon be feasting!’

“The little girl finally melted the gum and opened her eyes. She looked around, trying to find a way to get herself and the other children to safety, but there was nothing, no weapons that she could use and she couldn’t get everyone away before Dask’iya’ realized what was happening. That was when she saw Dask’iya’ was still dancing and singing about the feast she was going to have and she knew what she had to do. With a determined set of her chin the girl stepped in front of Dask’iya’ and pushed her into the fire. The big woman screamed and fought against the flames and the little girl was terrified. How could she make it so that Dask’iya’ couldn’t escape? She looked around and saw all the gum Dask’iya’ kept stocked so she could blind the children, and dumped it into the fire as well. The fire roared, surrounding Dask’iya’ and she died quickly.

“After Dask’iya’ had burned away completely, the girl warmed her hands again, melting the gum stuck to the eyes of the other children. Once every last child had opened their eyes, the brave girl led them home and they were alright because they knew that they wouldn’t have to be afraid of Dask’iya’ ever again.”

Haylla patted Sue’s chest, excitement written all over her face now.

“You want me to tell you another story?”

Haylla nodded.

“This is the story of the Thunderbird.”

Satisfied that Haylla was okay for now, I turned my attention to my imprint. He caught my eyes and his lips quirked into an almost smile.

“So, how was it, hunting animals?” I ran my fingers through the ends of his hair and tried to keep the grin off my face.

He leaned over and kissed my lips. “Revolting. The flavor still lingers.”

“Really.”

“Mhmm. I need to get the taste out of my mouth.” He kissed me again as he wrapped his arms around me. “It was horrible. All that fur in my mouth was just wrong.”

I pressed my lips to his. “You poor thing.”

“You should feel sorry for me. I only did it for you.” He nuzzled my neck for a moment, then met my eyes again. “And I’ll still keep doing it because I love you.”

“How could I possibly make it up to you?”

“I’ll think of something.” He kissed me again and I leaned my head against his chest, listening as my mother told the legends not connected to the wolves.

 

When we returned to the Cullen house that night, Alice met us at the door.

“Aro’s made his first move.”

“What did he do?” Demetri asked.

“He’s got a temporary tracker. He knows you’re not coming back.”


	18. Chapter 18

“How much time to we have?” Demetri asked as he led us into the house.

The Cullens were gathered in the living room, the stress evident across their faces and I wrapped my arms tighter around Haylla.

“Maybe a year?” Alice pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed. “He’s not making up his mind.”

“He’s doing that on purpose,” Demetri said. “He’s trying to keep us off balance so it will make it easier to kill us”

“We’re going to need to call our allies together much sooner than we’d planned.” Carlisle sighed, looking around at his family. “What does Aro know about Demetri? Can you tell for certain?”

“Aro knows Demetri’s left and suspects that he’s joined us because he knows that with us is the only place Demetri would be remotely safe due to his history with the Volturi and your compassion is well known. He’s now trying to figure out why Demetri left and how he broke free of Chelsea’s gift.”

“So he has no idea about Haylla and my connection Leah?”

“Not that I can tell.”

Haylla patted my chest, then pointed to herself.

“What are you trying to say, sweetheart?” I asked, confused.

“She wants to help,” Edward explained.

“Haylla, you’re a child. You shouldn’t have to worry about this.” Demetri caught her tiny hands in both of his.

Her eyes turned earnest and her mouth turned down.

“Is this what you really want?”

Haylla nodded emphatically.

“It might be safer if she can bring them,” Jasper commented. “We won’t be scattered in an effort to find them. I know you could track them, Demetri, but as a former member of the Volturi Guard, they might move to attack you instead of helping us.”

“She’s thinking about the story Sue told her, the one about the girl who saved the children,” Edward said. “She wants to be like that girl.”

Demetri’s shoulders slumped as he thought over what Jasper said. “Alright, darling. We’ll see if we can teach you how to call them, but not right now.” Turning to the gathered vampires, he said, “I’ll teach all of you how to fight. Too many of you will lose your lives without it.”

I kissed Haylla’s hair, my heart twisting and I fought back the deep swirl of emotions. She was far too intelligent for me to hide much from her and I didn’t want her knowing how much I feared for her or worried about her. She wasn’t even three days old and she was already being prepared to be used as a weapon. This wasn’t fair. Would she ever have the chance to be a child?

With that, I became determined that once the Volturi were no longer a threat, if I survived, I’d make sure she got to have as much of a childhood as possible.

“We start training in the morning.” Demetri straightened and folded his hands behind his back, suddenly all soldier, cold and calculating. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

 

The next morning, Demetri had us split into groups—pairing the wolves with vampires and the two vampires who didn’t have partners, Edward and Jasper together—and showing us a series of moves and how to counter them. My partner was Carlisle.

“The rules are simple: to take your partner out as quickly as possible. Vampires, if your opponent moves faster than you are and is able makes a strike that would result in the loss of a limb, you’re not allowed to use it anymore.”

_What about us?_ Jake asked and Edward repeated the question.

“We’ll work on that at a later time. Right now I just want you to practice this until it becomes second nature.” This was mostly directed at the wolves because our memories weren’t perfect. “Think of this as a dance. It’s all about rhythm, about training your body to move without thinking. You win when your partner slips.”

He stepped back. “Begin.”

Once he was satisfied that we had a good start, he turned his attention to Bella and for a while, there was nothing except this dance. Faster, slower, over and over again, changing the rhythm, the tempo, learning to spot a weakness. The pack mind was quiet as we moved through our routines.

“Focus, Bella,” Demetri snarled a while later, frustrated by Bella’s inability to follow his instructions. “You’ve got to be able to wrap your shield around individuals. If you just spread it out like you did at the last encounter, we’re all dead!”

“Just give me a minute!” Bella held up her hand.

“A minute? Do you think Jane or Alec will give us a minute? You know nothing about them if you think anyone will show you mercy. There will be no offers of joining the Volturi this time.” He turned his back on her sharply and walked away.

Bella’s face twisted in rage, but Demetri’s cool dismissal of her left her with no doubt that he would hurt her if she attacked.

_He’s pissed._ Quil’s thought’s  rang through the pack mind. 

_He knows what we’re getting ready to go up against._ I thought of the scar I’d seen on his back  and shuddered at the thought of what he’d endured.

_When do you think we’ll be calling on the Cullens’ allies?_ Jake was reluctant to have my baby used like that, but he knew she was our best bet to keep everyone safe. Being out there alone was not a good idea with Aro on the move.

_Whenever Demetri and Alice tell us. Haylla needs training first and I’d like her to be able to walk and talk before we try anything._ I glanced over at the porch where Ness and Haylla were sitting, watching the proceedings.  My poor baby, forced to grow up so fast, faster than even her body was growing. I hated it. Aro’s need to control the most powerful, the most gifted was destroying more than even he knew.

“I want to go again.”

Demetri ignored her, instead showing Esme a technique better defend herself. He moved slower, so she could take in every detail, then gestured for her to mimic him.

“Hey!”

“Your dislike of me makes it impossible for you to listen to me, so I fail to see how I can do anything for you.” He placed his hands on Esme’s shoulders, shifting her. “Watch your foot work. Move like this. It will improve your balance. Remember, you can’t always do exactly as I do because my technique is best for my height. Sometimes, you have to adjust for your size.”

“So you’re just going to walk away?”

“You’re arrogant and I can’t teach someone like that. Arrogance gets people killed, Isabella. You seem to believe you’re some sort of special vampire because you’ve never tasted human blood, because your gift keeps your thoughts safe, when in reality, you’re just like any of the other thousands of vampires I’ve met. You’re nothing but a newborn with delusions of grandeur and unable to comprehend that you got lucky the last time you faced Aro.”

“You don’t know that.” She sounded almost petulant. “We might have stood a chance.”

“Had he not been trying to save face with his witnesses, he would have given the order to attack, even with the unknown quantity that the wolves posed because he knows his Guard and what those under him are capable of. He won’t be making that mistake again. There will be no show, only death, dealt as swiftly as possible.” He kept his voice even, which somehow made him seem all the more terrifying. “When you’re willing to take this threat a bit more seriously, then, and only then, will I consider trying to train you. Until then, I’ve got other students more willing to learn from me.”

S he stared after hi m, unsure of how to take this from him.

_He’s afraid._ _He’s terrified that we won’t be ready, that she won’t be able to protect our minds._ I realized and I felt my chest squeeze. All at once, something else became clear. For the first time, I almost felt sorry for Bella. _She’s got no time to learn and she hates him because of her previous encounters with him. Hating someone like that makes it difficult to learn, especially when it requires such a deep level of trust._

It was a surreal experience to understand Bella, even though it was only a little bit, but that didn’t change that our lives quite possibly hung in the balance if she didn’t get this right.

Edward darted over to where Bella was standing and whispered in her ear, too low for me to hear, but his tone sounded urgent. She looked up at him, eyes wide and he nodded. She hissed something and his lips trembled with his rapid speech.

“Wait, Demetri!” She chased after him, stopping a few feet from him. Her toned had changed considerably, from hostile to entreating. “I’m sorry. Teach me. Please. Help me keep our children safe.”

“Do you promise to take my instructions seriously?” He turned to face her, his expression blank as he folded his hands behind his back. I knew that face. He was hiding the simmering emotions, most likely rage, behind that mask and that made him all the more dangerous.

“Yes.”

“Let’s begin then, shall we?”

After that, there were no more outbursts from anyone. I wondered what Edward had said to make Bella listen to my imprint even though she hated him. Whatever it was, it seemed to be working, because Demetri no longer had that completely empty expression on his face.

In fact, the entire mood seemed to lift just a little as if somewhere, we started to really believe that we could make it out of this relatively unscathed.

At one point, I closed my teeth lightly around Carlisle’s elbow, taking it out of commission, then dodged, snapping my teeth close to his throat, effectively ending that round.

“Very good,” Carlisle complimented as he stood up and we started again.

 

I collapsed across the bed, too exhausted to even pull the sheets up.

I hadn’t been this worn out since the first time I’d phased. But I couldn’t complain, not really, because I knew that any training I got gave me a better chance of surviving the coming war.

From the other room, I could hear Demetri putting Haylla to bed. From the sounds of things, she was trying to convince him to train her as well. She wasn’t even able to walk yet and already this was her life. A fierce hatred for Aro’s greed shot through me and if I wasn’t so tired, I might have had to fight the urge to phase.

“No, darling, not yet. We need to be sure your mind can handle the strain of such a task before we try to train you.” His voice was gentle, though there was an uncharacteristic weariness to it.

There was a pause.

“I know you want to help, but hurting yourself will do no one any favors. So, let yourself grow and believe that I will start teaching you to use your gift more fully when I feel you’re ready for it. Trust me, sweetheart, please.”

Another pause.

Sooner or later, she was going to start talking for real instead of depending on hand gestures and facial movements to communicate and heaven help us all once she found her tongue. She was already an opinionated little miss, but once she was able to speak for herself, there would be no miscommunication or depending on Edward to tell us exactly what she wanted.

“Go to sleep now, sweetheart. I’ll be just across the hall if you need anything.”

A few seconds later, Demetri lay down behind me and brushed a damp lock off my neck. “I suppose sex is out of the question tonight.”

“Too tired,” I mumbled. “I just wanna sleep for a while.”

He kissed my shoulder and tucked me closer to him so that my back was against his chest. “To sleep, perchance to dream, aye, there’s a rub.”

“Hm?” I was confused for a moment. My brain was too near unconsciousness to make sense of what he was getting at.

“Sometimes, I miss the ability to sleep, being able to close my eyes and make the world fall away for a while. I think that’s the worst part of being a vampire, having to be constantly awake. No rest for the wicked, I suppose.”

“‘M sorry.”

“Don’t be. If I’d not been turned, I would never have met you.” He wrapped his arm more tightly around me. “Go to sleep, my darling, and dream for the both of us.”

“Love you.”

“I love you.”


	19. Chapter 19

“Mama, am I old enough now?” Haylla looked up at me from where she was lying in her crib. “Please. I want to help.”

“I know you do, sweetheart,” I said once I’d gotten over my shock at her speaking. While I knew she would soon be talking, I’d hoped it would be at least a few more days before she passed that milestone. “We’ll talk it over with Papa and see what he says. Alright?”

“Okay.” She didn’t seem pleased with my

I picked her up and carried her over to the changing table. Setting her down, I walked over to her closet.

“I want to wear something dark green. I like green.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She giggled at that as I went through her selection of green clothes that appeared to be in her current size.

Why did she have to grow so fast? I wanted to enjoy her babyhood, but as fast as it was passing me by, I hardly had time to catch my breath before she changed again. Now with her talking, her non-humaness was only that much more glaring, as if her having blood in her bottle wasn’t enough.

For a brief moment, I wished she was human. A part of me ached to cradle her to my breast as she took her nourishment from my body. But she was my baby, half me, half Demetri and that soothed the disquiet at how different my life had turned out from what I imagined.

Without the supernatural, I never would have known such an amazing person existed. Without his immortality, my soulmate would have been lost to the ages and Haylla would never have existed, even with the quirks I wished weren’t so obvious, she was my baby and I loved her and her father.

If only I could have been pregnant with her longer. If only she could stay a baby for just a little longer. But I couldn’t change what was. All I could do was savor what time I had until she was grown, but she was so eager to grow up, to take on responsibilities she shouldn’t be worrying about.

“How about this?” I held up a dress with white cap sleeves and little flowers embroidered along the collar.

“Need something for my legs if I’m gonna wear that.”

“Leggings?” I walked over to the dresser and pulled out a black pair, holding them up for inspection.

“That’ll do.” She nodded. “I don’t want to wear shoes today because they usually start to pinch after a while, so don’t worry about them.”

Once I had her dressed, I picked her up and carried her down stairs

As soon as I stepped off the stairs, Haylla looked around the main for Demetri. “Where’s Papa?”

Seth stared at Haylla. “She’s talking already.”

“Yes, Uncle Seth, I am.” She tipped her nose into the air, then giggled again, unable to pretend to be mean to him. But her good humor faded quickly and she turned serious. “Where’s Papa? We’ve got ‘portant things to talk about.”

“He’s outside, training Bella.” Whatever Edward had said to Bella had pushed her to try to train as hard as possible as often as possible.

“Has Alice seen anything else?”

“She looked into the new tracker a little bit. This girl is convinced that she and Demetri are meant to be. Alice thinks that she was obsessed with Demetri before, but her being selected to replace him has her believing it all the more and Aro is doing nothing to correct her.”

“Her fantasies are probably something Aro is playing on to make her more compliant.” I hated it that this stranger thought Demetri was supposed to be with her. He was _mine_!  An involuntary growl rumbled from my chest, causing Haylla to look at me sharply.

“That’s what Edward thinks. Caius is irritated because she doesn’t have the same drive for perfection that Demetri has and she’s not nearly so powerful.”

“Mama, could we walk and talk please? I’ve really got to talk to Papa. I’d crawl to him, but I don’t want to get my pretty clothes dirty.”

“Of course.” I gestured with my head for Seth to follow. “What’s her gift like, can Alice tell?”

“She has a general sense of people’s locations. Not exact, mind you, more like ‘I can feel them in this direction.’ Then, when she gets near them, it becomes, ‘I know they’re within fifty square miles of here, I just can’t tell where.’”

“That’s not very precise.”

“Yeah. Jasper thinks they got desperate when it became clear that Demetri had left Europe, taking all of his money and things he values the most with him, so they went looking for the nearest tracker. Kitty stayed in Italy, so she was the easiest to locate.”

“And now, thanks to her, they know he’s near the Cullens.”

“From what Alice has seen, yeah.”

I hated this Kitty, whoever she was. First she thought that my imprint was supposed to fall in love with her, even though he hadn’t after who knows how long. And now, she was endangering all our lives just to try to make her fantasies a reality. If I ever saw her, I would tear her apart personally, her and Aro both.

“She’s not very smart,” Haylla said. “Papa loves Mama and me and he won’t leave us for her. He’s ours and that girl can get hers somewhere else. And even if Chelsea somehow made him go silly for her, I wouldn’t let him get very far.” Her face set in a fearsome scowl. “No one can make him leave without my permission.”

If it had been under any other circumstances, I would have laughed, but this wasn’t really a laughing matter. My baby was having to worry about some woman trying to force her father to leave and whether or not she’d be strong enough to fight it. No child should have to think about things like that.

When we found Demetri, he and Edward were walking around, crossing paths, in intricate designs. What the hell were they up to?

“I hear him, Bella,” Edward said.

It was then I realized what they were doing. They were trying to get it so that Bella could shield people no matter where they were or who came between her and those she was trying to protect. Trust Demetri to find a way to expand her gift even more than she thought she could.

“Okay, you’re good.”

Bella gave a little smile, her determination clear. Once she allowed herself to look past who was teaching her and her history with him, she was growing by leaps and bounds. Demetri never outright said anything, but I knew he was pleased with her progress, though I wouldn’t put it past Edward to tell her what Demetri was thinking about it.

“Papa!” Haylla called. “We’ve gotta talk.”

Demetri held his hand up to Bella to ask for a time out and suddenly he was in front of us. “You’re talking now.”

“Yes, Papa. Now when can I start learning?” She looked up at him, her blue eyes expectant. “Maybe I can train when Bella can’t? That way I’m not cutting into her practice time with you?”

Demetri sighed, his mouth pulling down at the corners, apparently as unwilling to turn our baby into a weapon as I was. “We start practicing this evening. Just little things, mind you. But if this is what you want, we may as well begin.”

“Good. I wanna be ready when they come.”

“You will be, sweetheart.” He brushed that stubborn curl off her forehead and gave her a sad smile. With a sigh, he turned away. “Shall we continue?”

While they worked on Bella’s shield, a few of the vampires came out to practice and the wolves present phased to pair off with them. Though their practicing was more for our sake than theirs, maybe it was comforting to them to know that they were doing what they could to keep their family safe. Either way, I couldn’t complain. If I was going to be able to protect my daughter, I needed to be able to fight with the best of them.

 

“Can you find strings in my head?” Demetri asked. He was kneeling on the ground with Haylla seated in front of him with her legs crossed in front of her. “Do not pull on them if you can sense them. Who knows you might bring on accident?”

I stood off to one side, watching with a few of the other Cullens and Seth. The others were either places Demetri had sent them or trying to take a break from the stress.

Haylla smiled at him, then focused for a long moment. “I think so. They feel funny.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re there, but they’re not you and I’ve never met them, so they’re trynna fill a hole in my head that wasn’t there before. It’s weird. I never noticed before ‘cause I never wanted to pull on them.” Haylla tilted her head, her eyes alight with curiosity, much like Demetri’s when he discovered something new.

“Jake should be out near the Canadian border right now. Does it feel any different than when he’s nearby?”

“A little bit. It’s like the string got pulled tight.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No. I wanna pull him back because it feels strange. I’m not used to him being so far away.” Haylla frowned. “I can feel Emmett too, and Jasper. It’s like a part of me is being pulled in different directions, like they’re takin’ part of me with ‘em.”

“You’ll get used to feeling people at great distances after a while, until one day, you won’t really notice how odd it feels because it’s now your normal.” He shrugged and I knew then that he was speaking from personal experience.

Just how much were these so called gifts actually a curse? To always know where everyone was? In theory, that would be a good thing, but to hear Demetri’s offhand remarks, it sounded more like a burden than anything. He could never shut it off, his gift automatically tracking people even when he didn’t want it to. Now our daughter would suffer similarly, except she could sleep, forcing it into a dormant state, unlike her father.

Haylla straightened. “I think Jake’s coming back.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The string’s getting looser.”

“Interesting. So you know when people are getting closer to you. That will be convenient.”

 

After a few hours of this, Haylla finally started yawning, though she tried to hide it.

“Time for bed, young lady.” Demetri stood and picked her up.

“No. I wanna keep training.” She fought against her drooping lids, though it was clear that she was going to lose.

“You’ll learn better after you’ve slept. Trying to train while exhausted will make it difficult for you to remember.”

“Got perfect memory.”

“That may be, but you might accidentally pull on someone you shouldn’t and that would be a disaster, don’t you think?” The best way to get our daughter to do something was to explain the reasoning behind our decisions, rather than expect her to go along with what we wanted blindly.

“Train again tomorrow?”

“Yes, sweetheart. I promise. We’ll train some more tomorrow.”

“Okay. I’ll sleep then.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Night, Mama.”

“Good night.” I kissed the top of her head.

Once we’d tucked Haylla into bed, I stripped and collapsed beside Demetri, burrowing into his side, allowing the chill of his bare skin pressed against mine to calm me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Our poor baby. She’s a child. She shouldn’t have to worry about any of this. And yet, because of her gift, she’s thrown right into the middle of it.”

Demetri slid his hand down my ribs. “She’s too much like her mother, unable to stand aside and do nothing while the people she loves are in danger.”

I leaned back a little so I could look at his face. “She’s growing up too fast. I want to protect her, to shield her from anything bad, but she’s too intelligent to fool like that. People talk about their children growing in the blink of an eye, but they have no idea.” I pressed my face against his neck. “She’s passing milestones by the day that take other children months or even years to learn.”

“In a world such as ours, the innocent are the first to die. The vulnerable never last. Only the strong see centuries of life. Only those who face the realities of this life make it through the fight. If she has any hope of survival, she has to grow fast.” He exhaled against my hair. “Children such as Haylla are geared for survival in a landscape where everyone is faster and stronger than they are. Their childhoods are shortened so they’re not in that defenseless stage for very long.”

“I guess when you put it that way, her rapid growth is a blessing.”

“Not a blessing, a necessity.”


	20. Chapter 20

A light thump from across the hall caused me to jerk awake.

“I think Haylla just jumped out of bed,” Demetri said as he set his book to the side.

I leaped up and pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before rushing across the hallway.

Opening her bedroom door, I found her standing beside her crib. She shook her curls out of her face and looked at me with a proud smile.

“Did you get out of bed all by yourself?” I asked as I knelt down in front of her.

She nodded. “Now I’m ready for a big girl bed. Do you think Auntie Rose will help me pick one out?”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind it if you asked her,” Demetri said as he leaned against the door.

“Okay! Now, what to wear today?” She walked over to her closet, then frowned when she found that she couldn’t reach the doorknob. “I’m going to have to grow some more if I want to be able to go around without help at all.”

“I don’t mind helping you.” I kissed the top of her head and opened the door. “You’re my little girl and it’s a mother’s job to make sure her child is taken care of.”

She through her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. “Thank you, Mama.”

“Now, what do you want to wear?”

Haylla pursed her lips before pointing to a dark blue pinafore and white shirt.

“Okay, you can leave now. I can dress myself now.”

“You know this means you’re going to have to start hunting animals and eating human food, right?”

Haylla sighed, clearly annoyed with this. “Yes, Mama.”

“Haylla, don’t roll your eyes at me. You knew this was coming,” I said as I closed the door behind us.

“How did you know I rolled my eyes?” Haylla asked, her voice muffled by her clothing.

“Because you’re too much like me not to.”

We entered the living room just as Alice’s eyes glazed over. Edward, who was sitting at the piano next to Bella, jerked around to look at the psychic.

“What is it?” Bella asked as she placed her hand on her mate’s shoulder.

“Is Haylla ready to call our friends?” Edward’s voice was tight. “From what I can tell, Kitty is already looking for them.”

“Why is Aro doing this?” Esme asked. “Demetri left, so what?”

“Demetri being near us means that we’ve accepted his presence and that means Carlisle is that much stronger, that much more difficult to take down. To Aro, he’s seeing the same signs of an overthrow that he staged so many years ago.”

“We wouldn’t be a threat if he wasn’t a threat to us,” Demetri bit out. “Even if I wanted to go back, Caius would never accept Leah and our child would be in even more danger because we can’t produce an adult just like her to assuage any fears they may have about her.”

“Who do I find first?” Haylla asked as she walked down the stairs.

“We’ll call the Denali sisters, let them know what’s happening.” Carlisle ran his hand through his hair in an almost weary gesture. “I’d hoped we would have some more time before we had to do this.”

“When do I start calling our allies, Papa?” Haylla asked as Demetri scooped her up.

“Renesmee, would you show Haylla the people we need her to bring to us?” Demetri set Haylla on the floor.

“Okay.” Ness walked over to Haylla and the two girls sat down on the floor with their legs crossed.

Leaning forward, Ness pressed her hand to Haylla’s cheek and Haylla squeezed her eyes shut.

“Alice?” Demetri glanced at her.

“They’re on their way. The first of them should arrive in about two days. Some of them suspect that it’s a vampire gift, but because it’s in Carlisle’s direction, they aren’t arguing.” Alice stared off for a moment. “She might have to pull on a few of them after a while, just to remind them where they need to go, but the majority won’t need any encouragement.”

Carlisle picked up the phone and dialed. “Eleazor, I hate to tell you this, my friend, but it would seem Aro is moving against us.”

“ _What happened?”_

“You remember Leah Clearwater?”

“ _The she-wolf.”_

“She gave birth to a vampire’s child about three weeks ago and we believe Aro may have caught wind of it.”

“ _And Caius will use that to silence all of us.”_ Eleazor paused. _“Tell me about the child.”_

“A girl, Haylla. She’s gifted, like her father, but like Renesmee, she’s flipped his talent.”

“ _Who’s her father?”_

“Demetri, and yes, he is here with us, or rather, with Leah.”

“ _Demetri.”_ Eleazor said carefully. _“A siren, than?”_

“A very gifted one. She’s calling our other allies right now.”

“ _I know the sisters won’t be too thrilled about fighting alongside him, all things considered, but if it gives them the satisfaction of watching Caius burn, I think they’ll swallow their rage for another time.”_

“Thank you, my friend. Alice says that the first of those Haylla is calling should arrive in about two days time.”

“ _We will join you then.”_

Carlisle hung up the phone and sighed. “Aro was once my friend, my mentor. I’d hoped we could work around this.”

“He values power more than friendship,” Demetri said quietly, not taking his eyes off Haylla as he spoke. “He doesn’t care who he has to destroy to keep his crown.”

We lapsed into silence then, until finally, Haylla opened her eyes, breathing heavily. “They’re coming.”

I picked her up and wrapped my arms tightly around her.

“Did I do a good job, Mama?”

“You did a really good job, sweetheart.” I kissed her temple. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Aro will know we’re gathering against him,” Jasper said. “And he may try to use that against us.”

“We are acting to save our own lives from his army,” Demetri replied. “What can anyone expect us to do?”

“That made me tired,” Haylla admitted.

 

Two days passed much more quickly than I would have liked. Throughout that time, Haylla continued to tug whenever she felt someone decide to go another way, but other than that, it was all very quiet, too quiet for my taste because it was the unsettling kind, right before all hell broke loose.

That evening, I sat at Rosalie’s feet while she attempted to style my hair, watching Haylla and Ness play a game of chess.

“They’re here,” Haylla said, without looking up.

“Who?” Ness asked as she moved a knight.

“The Irish lady.” Haylla moved a rook. “Check.”

As if on cue, the black haired woman and her two companions appeared at the back window. I stood up, ready to grab Haylla and push her behind me if necessary and Rosalie moved to my left flank while the rest of my pack moved to the doorway from the kitchen.

“Sioban, thank you so much for coming.” Carlisle greeted her warmly.

“Carlisle, what magic have you wrought?” Sioban accused. “I felt this need to be here and the only way I would feel like that was if a gift was being used on me.”

“Meet Haylla Clearwater.”

Haylla stood up. “Hello.”

“Hello, little one.” Sioban knelt down, examining my daughter. “It was your gift I felt calling me here.”

“Yes. I’m sorry if it made you upset, but Aro’s looking for all of you. Alice thinks he plans on killing you for siding with the Cullens.” Haylla’s blue eyes widened. “Did I make you angry?”

“So soon?” Sioban raised an eyebrow at Carlisle. “And no, child, I’m not angry with you, because I think you just saved my life.”

“I’m afraid that’s my doing,” Demetri spoke up. “I left the Volturi and Aro doesn’t seem to have taken too kindly to it.”

“Judging from the eye color, you’ve adopted the Cullen way of life,” she remarked as she rose to her feet, clearly surprised at the dark burnt orange of Demetri’s eyes.

“For Leah and for our daughter,” he replied as he wrapped his arm around my waist. “Leah could never accept someone who preys on humans and I can’t imagine trying to survive without her. A little discomfort is worth it to me.”

“You love her,” Maggie breathed.

“With every fiber of my being.”

Cars slowed down and pulled into the drive, drawing our attention. I glanced at Demetri to find his mouth set in a firm line and his eyes narrowed.

“I think the Denalis are here,” Ness said, excitedly.

Carlisle darted out the front door to meet them.

“Thank you for this,” Carlisle said softly as they came through the door.

“As long as Caius burns, I don’t care who I have to stand beside,” Kate said, her voice fierce. Her eyes moved over our faces, landing last on Haylla. “And this must be the newest hybrid.”

“I’m Haylla Clearwater,” she said. “Demetri and Leah are my parents.”

“Such beautiful eyes,” Carmen sighed. “Such a pretty blue.”

“They came from my father,” Haylla replied proudly. “I have his eyes from when he was human.”

“I’m beginning to see why Joham thinks he’s creating a superior race,” Eleazar commented. “Between their beauty and the extraordinary abilities of the gifted ones, they truly are beyond anything this world has seen before.” To Demetri, he said, “You’re the last person I ever thought would become a vegetarian.”

“But you’re not surprised that I left.”

“You never were loyal to them, not on your own. You were only there because of Chelsea’s gift.”

I grabbed Demetri’s hand and held it. The fact that this woman stripped my lover of his free will for so long made me hate her and made me want to protect him with everything I had. He wasn’t their plaything to be jerked around. He was mine to protect from them.

 

For the next three days, there was a steady stream of arrivals, all faces I’d seen two months ago. Much like with Ness, they were charmed by Haylla, though were initially wary of her gift and of her father, though she didn’t seem bothered by it.

The last to arrive were the Egyptian coven.

When Demetri saw them, he tense, gripping my hand harder than was strictly necessary.

“Amun.” He tilted his chin up almost defiantly.

“Demetri. You’ve left Aro.” The older vampire looked his creation over, a slight frown marring his features when he noticed my imprint’s eye color.

“I have.”

“And joined Carlisle.” Was that betrayal in his voice? Did he really feel so strongly about Demetri leaving him?

“No,” I said, anxious to smooth this over. “Once this mess with Aro is dealt with, we’re most likely going to go our own way. We’re here for the sake of numbers.”

Amun studied me with no expression, before looking back at Demetri. “So all it took for you to walk away was a woman?”

“Love, Amun.” He laughed. “I fell in love with someone who should be my enemy and I couldn’t have imagined someone better suited for me if I had tried.”

“A wolf. I never thought that when I turned you, you would be captured by a wolf.”

“You turned my papa.” Haylla leaped up, wrapping her arms around Demetri’s neck.

“Yes, I created him.” Amun’s eyes widened and he stepped back. “You fathered a child.”

“I did.” He kissed her hair. “Granted, she wasn’t planned. When I left her mother, I wasn’t sure what would happen between us after that, but both of them have become my entire world. But she is the reason you’re here.”

“Explain.”

“Her gift is to call people to her. She can find them in other people’s minds, much like I can, but instead of going after them, she pulls them to her.”

“A true siren then. Aro would kill to get his hands on her.”

“She would be Heidi’s upgrade.” Demetri shook his head. “But I won’t allow her to be used like that. It was difficult enough to have her call everyone, but to have my daughter at Aro’s whims? Who know who he’d have her bring, if Caius allowed her to live at all.”

Amun’s expression turned thoughtful, before he said to Haylla, “Hello, child.”

“Hello, Amun. Thank you for making my papa a vampire, ‘cause if you didn’t, he and Mama wouldn’t have ever met and Mama would be sad forever.” She smiled at him, then turned her attention to his mate. “You’re Kebi, aren’t you?”

Kebi bowed her head once.

“Papa told me about you. He said that you were the one who helped him adjust to being a vampire and how to act like a proper person, ‘cause his manners were atrocious before meeting you.” Haylla giggled as though she couldn’t imagine her father with bad manners.

Kebi cracked a smile, then breathed, “He didn’t know any better.”

“He also said that when he was a newborn you’d keep him calm by telling stories.”

“He has the most inquisitive mind.”

“Could you tell me some of the stories?” Haylla asked, her eyes alight. “Please? If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, but I’d like to hear them.”

“To teach Demetri’s child would be a pleasure.” She held out her arms and Haylla jumped to her. She looked Haylla over carefully before addressing Demetri. “I had thought your eyes were lost forever, but they’ve been passed on to your daughter.”

“They suit her better than they ever did me.”

Benjamin stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m Benjamin and this is Tia.”

Demetri shook his hand and bowed his head to Tia. “Pleasure.”

I watched Kebi as she took Haylla to one corner of the room and sat on the floor with her. The serious faced woman smiled softly at my baby as she ran her fingers through Haylla’s black waves.

“She’s quite taken with her,” Tia whispered to me. “I can see why though. She was exceedingly fond of Demetri and I think she felt his leaving most keenly. Now she has his child to teach and I think that may be exactly what she needed.”


	21. Chapter 21

“They’re coming,” Alice said bleakly one night, leaning her head on Jasper’s shoulder. “They should be here tomorrow night.”

“Who all is coming?” Demetri asked, looking up from his chess game with Haylla.

“The Guard, all of them. Aro, Marcus, Caius, the wives, and their personal guards will not be joining them though.”

“So, we will need to prepare for two different fights.” Demetri’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Once the issue here is dealt with, we send a group to Italy to take care of the situation there.”

“Who goes to Italy?” Emmett rested his forearms on his knees.

“The gifted and our best vampire fighters. It would be best if the wolves stayed here because we need Alice’s vision to be as clear as possible.”

“I’ll call Jacob,” Carlisle said as he walked over to the landline phone. “The wolves need to be ready as well.”

My heart started to pound. Last time the fight hadn’t seemed real. I didn’t have so much to lose last time, my brother and my pack. But this time, I had my imprint and a baby as well. Losing my pack, losing my brother, though I would feel the pain of their loss and grieve, I could go on. However, losing my daughter or Demetri, that pain would be crippling beyond anything I could survive.

Demetri stood up and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me. Haylla looked up at us, fear written across her face and ran over to us, gripping our legs.

The others held onto their loved ones as the reality of what we were facing crashed in on them. Though we all knew this was coming, for a while, it seemed to be something distant, something no one needed to worry about for a while, a distant terror. Now, it was upon us, threatening to tear us apart, to destroy us.

Tomorrow we would talk ourselves into a battle frenzy, but tonight, we would allow ourselves to fear losing the people we loved.

Kebi knelt down, taking one of Haylla’s hands in both of hers. “We are strong, my darling. Your father has trained us. He knows the Guard and how they fight. We will survive this. We’ve done all we can to prepare and we’re strong, stronger than anyone they’ve gone up against before.”

“She’s right,” Rosalie said gently as she too got down on Haylla’s level.

“Do you promise?” Haylla asked, her terrified voice breaking my heart.

“Yes,” both vampires said at the same time.

“We are the strongest fighting force Aro has ever sent his soldiers to face,” Kebi said fiercely. People had mistaken her for being weak or malleable, but I saw a woman who knew how to pick her fights and how to work people into doing what she wanted them to do.

“And we have people who know how the Volturi operate,” Rosalie added.

Haylla nodded, though it seemed a bit reluctant.

“May she stay down here tonight?” Kebi looked at me.

“If that’s what she wants,” I replied.

Haylla nodded and took Rosalie’s hand with her free one. “I don’t wanna sleep by myself tonight.”

“You can stay with Mama and me if you want to.” Demetri brushed her hair out of her face.

“Kebi tells interesting stories that don’t involve the Volturi,” Haylla whispered, hanging her head. “I don’t wanna dream about them.”

“Of course.” Demetri’s jaw ticked, but otherwise, he kept his face neutral. His voice gentled as he continued speaking, “Kebi’s stories are beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.”

I knew it hurt him, that his past terrified our daughter and I squeezed his hand in reassurance. I didn’t hate him for his life before meeting me because it was what brought us together. No matter what he’d done, I loved him. It was both a blessing and a curse really, knowing that I loved someone with such a dark history.

“Goodnight, Mama,” Haylla said. “Goodnight, Papa.”

“I do believe she is dismissing us.” Demetri smiled at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes, then he led me upstairs.

Instead of catcalling like he normally did when Demetri and I left the room, Emmett remained silent, allowing Rosalie to sit on his lap as Kebi began one of her tales. Haylla’s face relaxed as Kebi spun magic around her.

As soon as the door closed behind us, Demetri stripped us both and tossed me on the bed, climbing onto the bed, hovering over me.

“I love you.” He kissed my throat, sucking lightly on my pulse point.

“I love you.” I ran my fingers through his hair, looking up into his amber eyes.

“I want to make love to you,” he breathed against my ear. “But I fear that you might fall apart if I gave into that desire.”

“I just want you to hold me tonight. I think that anything more than that would break me.” I swallowed around the lump in my throat as Demetri rolled onto his side, taking me with him and tucking me against him.

I hooked my leg over him, pressing my cheek against his cold skin, inhaling his scent, allowing it to wash over me.

“As soon as this is over, I’m going to take you to bed and not let you leave for a week.”

“Is that all?” I grinned, but it felt lifeless on my face and there was no way he missed the hitch in my voice. A tear trickled over the bridge of my nose, dropping onto his chest.

“You’re afraid.”

“Some of us could be hurt or killed.”

“Don’t forget, most of us can be put back together again.” He kissed the top of my head, tracing his hand down my back. “And we’ll look out for those who can’t be.”

“You’ll be distracted keeping an out on us, endangering yourselves.”

“Leah, my darling, please, don’t worry yourself. We’ve trained. We know how to work together. If you worry, it will make you more vulnerable to attack. The best way to survive is to remain calm and to trust your comrades.” He shifted, so that I was lying with my back pressed against his chest and he kissed my shoulder.

“I’ve fought, I’ve killed, but I’ve never lost anyone in a fight.”

“We will get through this, Leah. Have faith in us. You’re giving them too much power over you and that will do more harm than they ever could.” Demetri held me tighter, burying his nose against the back of my neck.

“I just found you and Haylla has only begun to live.”

“Use that, let it fuel you, protecting those you love. Allow your love for our daughter to fill you and drive the wolf. At your core, you are a wolf, but you’re allowing your human mind to control your basic, animal instincts. Allowing yourself to give in to that in a fight will save you and keep Haylla safe.”

I closed my eyes, letting his words wash over me. The wolf swelled inside me, nearer to the surface than I’d ever allow it to be, and the desire to bite, to tear my enemies apart, to make sure my cub got to live in safety, pulsed through my veins.

“Sleep now, love. You’ll need your rest.”

My dreams were unsettling, disjointed, but nothing made sense. Before I could grasp the image, it disappeared, leaving me confused as to what I was seeing. I almost woke up, but Demetri’s voice worked through my foggy mind. After falling back to sleep, my dreams were more peaceful. Demetri, Haylla, and I were on the beach and Demetri sang softly for us.

When I woke, the sky showed that it was near noon and I climbed out of bed slowly.

“How did you sleep?”

“My dreams were weird at first, but then they calmed down.”

“Good.”

“Did you sing for me?” I looked at him over my shoulder to where my lover lay reclined against one of the pillows with an arm under his head.

“You were in distress.” Demetri shrugged as he sat up.

“You’ll have to sing for me again later when I can actually remember it.” I caught his hand and pressed it to my cheek. “Time to get dressed, I suppose.”

I headed to the shower and turned on the shower, brushing my teeth while I waited.

Demetri joined me in the shower As he slid the sponge over my body, he looked at me with an indescribable look in his eyes.

Unable to bear it if I went into this fight without making love to him just one more time, I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled myself up his body. I was desperate to feel him, to touch him; I needed him to possess me.

Demetri groaned softly and kissed me hard as he pinned me to the wall. I dug my fingers into his hair and gripped his shoulder, anchoring my body to his. One of his hands slid up my body, caressing my breasts as he deepened the kiss.

Pulling away from my lips, he murmured, “I love you.”

“I need you,” I whispered. “Please.”

Demetri hooked my leg higher up his hip and thrust, rolling his hips slowly. I whimpered, dragging my nails over his scalp, and I bit his lower lip, causing him to growl. He leaned his head back, looking me in the eye as we moved together slowly.

“I’ll never get enough of you,” he breathed.

For a long moment, time stood still. It was just the two of us and the rest of the world just faded away. The coil began forming in my my lower belly and my head fell back. In response to my reactions, he picked up the pace and I cried out as my climax washed over me.

As he withdrew from me, he buried his face against my neck and said, “Don’t leave me. Don’t ever leave me.”

“They’re coming for us tonight.”

His grip tightened on me. “And they’ll regret it. I won’t allow anyone to hurt you. I swear it.”


	22. Chapter 22

“But, Mama, I can help!” Haylla protested with a stomp of her foot.

From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Edward and Bella talking to their daughter, telling her goodbye, but I focused my attention on my own child.

“No, Haylla,” I said firmly as I knelt down in front of her. “You and Ness will be safer here, with my mom.”

“Your mama and I can’t be worrying about you, which is what would happen if you were there.” Demetri ran his fingers through her black curls. “You’re so little still, you’ll be an easy target. As long as we know that you’re safe, we’ll be able to fight better.”

“You promise?” Haylla finally sighed.

“I swear.” Demetri’s amber eyes were serious. “When it’s over, we’ll come get you.”

“I’ll be scared for you.”

I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my face against her hair. “You’ll see us soon. I promise.” Standing up, I turned towards the door, Demetri on my heels. If we didn’t leave soon, we would never make it to the field in time.

“Stay safe.” Sue put on a brave face, but I could see her brows furrowing. Her children were going out to fight and she could lose us both in one night.

“As safe as I can,” I said as I headed out. I wanted to hug her, but I knew that if I did, we might actually break down crying and we couldn’t afford to have that happen, not yet. Maybe when it was over, but not now.

Once the door closed behind me, I heard Sue say, “How about we have a movie night?”

Good. Anything to try to distract the girls from what their parents were facing. I headed towards the trees, Demetri beside me, and paused to phase.

Demetri and I ran in silence to where the others waited for the Volturi to arrive.

My heart felt heavy in my chest as a sense of dread stole across my mind. I wanted nothing more than to walk away from this fight and take my family with me, but my brothers and our allies’ lives depended on us standing with them. Could I stand strong if one of us got hurt? I wanted to say that I could, but I’d never had to face something so terribly, not even with the newborns, so I couldn’t say for certain.

I heard the other wolves phase into the pack mind as we ran, but no one said anything; we simply acknowledged each others presence wordlessly. We remained wrapped in our own thoughts, hoping that come morning, each voice with us now would be with us then.

Breaking through the trees Demetri and I paused. He gave me a long look and we went to our designated spots. I joined my pack as Demetri took a position not far from Rosalie and Emmett in the clearing. Looking around, I studied the gathered fighters, vampires flanked on each side by the wolf packs. Besides the night, I could only hear breathing, and the wolf heartbeats.

I flicked my ears against the surrounding sounds, searching for our enemies.

“They’re here,” Edward said, picking out thoughts from our enemies and everyone shifted into a fighting position.

After a few seconds, I caught the faint tread of vampires through the forest and Demetri’s words came back to me. Inhaling slowly, I allowed the wolf to take over my mind, as the human girl faded into the background, preparing me for battle. I snapped my teeth and a growl rumbled low in my chest, as I braced myself.

The Guard came out of the trees, their movements swift and sure. There was no pageantry, no show; they weren’t here to put on a performance this time. They were simply here to kill. No witnesses, no ‘trial,’ just the execution. But would it be ours? Or theirs?

There was a moment of utter stillness, then all hell broke loose. Who moved first, I wasn’t sure, or maybe we leaped at the same time, acting on some sort of unknown cue. The air filled with the thunderous crashing of vampires smashing into each other and the sounds of vampires being shredded.

Without a second’s hesitation, I tore into one of the largest members in a light gray cloak, ripping off his arm with the screeching of tearing metal. He howled, but it was cut short as Seth took off his head. From somewhere, I was aware of Embry and Quil twisting a vampire in half as Seth and I started on our next kill.

_Not so many pieces._ Jake cautioned  as he beheaded another leech.

Right. Demetri was hoping that at least a few members of The Guard might be able to live after this. Felix, Heidi, Corin, and Renata I knew were the main ones, though he said that Corin and Renata would probably remain in Italy for this fight. Maybe Santiago, if he could be convinced. I wasn’t sure who all he thought who could be saved, but I left that decision to the vampires. This was their affair, not mine. I didn’t care as long as the people I loved were safe.

Demetri leaped over our heads, flipping as he kicked another bloodsucker into the ground before incapacitating his target with the coldest efficiency I’d ever seen. Twisting, he went low, going for his opponent’s legs and taking her out.

Forcing my attention from my lover, I ripped a vampire off Embry’s back and together, we tore her apart.

A glance at one of the Amazon vampires, the gifted one, left me wishing I’d not looked. The expression on her face made me glad I wasn’t the one she’d targeted with her gift because the vampire lay on the ground, grabbing his head with a pathetic whimper.

This was nothing like the battle with the newborns. There, they hadn’t known what they were doing and were just using their strength, while these guys knew exactly what they were doing and if I allowed myself to think about it, I might become so terrified I couldn’t defend my pack.

Shoving the fear down, I pulled the wolf back to the front of my mind, and became engulfed in the fight once more.

Panic ripped through the pack mind, but was tampered out quickly. One of ours must have been hurt. But who? No wolves howled, so it must have been a vampire who’d gotten taken out. I wanted to look around to see who it was, but I forced myself to focus on the fight at hand.

_Calm down. There’s no fire yet._ Jake thought,  injecting calm into the pack mind .  _They can be put back together._

Demetri’s training had worked through us so thoroughly that we could now acknowledge a death on our side, but not allow it to overwhelm us. It seemed cold, from a certain point of view, but as long as we didn’t become emotional, more of us would come out of this unharmed and be able to save our friends.

Kate snarled and leveled her opponent with a quick blast of her gift and Garrett beheaded the other male with a bite and a quick twist of his head. Then, Garrett grabbed grabbed Kate’s arm and swung her as she kicked out.

A vampire came up behind me and tried to grab me around the throat, but I moved just a little faster than he was expecting, twisting out of his grasp  as I bit his leg, dragging him backwards as I jerked my head back and forth, working his leg off.  Being faster than the wolves and most vampires had its perks.

S omewhere to my right, two vampire bodies collided  with a thunderous crash and I ducked to avoid them  as they tumbled towards me.  It was Rosalie and an equally beautiful female vampire, but Rosalie was equal to the task so I turned back to my pack.

Step. Duck. Bite. Join with Seth in a kill. Help Quil corner another. Get that male tick off of Rosalie. Duck again. Rip. Dodge again.

One of Sam’s pack howled.

_Don’t look. Don’t get distracted. More people could get hurt in that split second._ I reminded myself.

Fewer and fewer dark cloaked people remained to attack, until we found no one left to take down.  Had we won? 

Demetri and Jasper hadn’t been joking when they said that no matter the experience level, vampire battles didn’t last very long.  Moving faster than a human also meant that our fights were over before a human could comprehend. 

_It’s over._ Jake said finally.

I looked around to see that most of our side remained standing. There were a few vampires missing, but like Jake said, there was no fire yet so they would be okay. But I didn’t pay attention to who was down, my eyes seeking Demetri. I found him on his heels sorting through body parts, sorting twitching limbs into piles, handling the bodies almost reverently.

I raced into the trees and phased, dressing quickly, so I could join my imprint in human form.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I placed my hand on his shoulder.

“Once we get the ones we can allow to live put back together, I’ll be better,” he said quietly, his mind clearly on the fate of his former associates. His voice softened, becoming sadder when he continued, “They were my comrades, my friends for so long, it’s more painful than I thought it would be to see them in pieces like this.”

“They’ll be back with you soon.” I rubbed his back and he relaxed a little beneath my touch.

He nodded once. “I know.”

Hesitating a moment, I asked, “When do you leave for Italy?”

“As soon as we get this straightened up, we’ll get ready to leave.” He looked up at me, his amber eyes tight. “I wish I could bring you along.”

“But Alice can’t see us and it could put the rest of you in danger. You’ll have a better chance of coming back to me if I’m not there to blind her.”

E mmett dashed over to us. “So do we put them together now? Or wait until we’ve dealt with Aro?”

“After we’ve dealt with Aro,” Demetri said as he straightened. “If Aro is dead, they will have less reason to attack because the object of their loyalty is gone.” He picked up the body and head of a huge, black haired vampire almost gently. “Let’s get them back to the house.”

I  picked up another stinking leech,  holding it carefully out of respect for Demetri’s affections for it, and followed him through the trees. Behind us, I could smell the  cloying aroma of vampires being burned.  A few of our allies decided to  go with Demetri’s idea for getting the soon to be survivors off the field.  We weren’t cruel, just trying to protect ourselves, so we weren’t going to leave those Demetri hoped to save lying out in the field.

Back at the Cullen house, we set up the dead vampires in an empty room not far from the living room.

Demetri placed a cloth between the head and shoulders of the vampire he’d brought in. Why? Oh, right. Vampires could put themselves back together again if they touched. I followed his example,  as did Emmett and the others who’d brought in corpses. 

O nce the last person had been laid out on the floor, Demetri headed outside and stood on the porch, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Who got taken down from our side?” I asked finally.

“Esme and Carmen. They’re awake now though,” Demetri said as he wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my neck.

I combed my fingers through his hair, holding him close. He was afraid. I could feel it and I wondered what they would be going up against to make him so worried. We’d killed the witch twins and they were the worst ones to go against. So why? Unless Aro truly was someone to be so concerned about in a fight. I tightened my grip on him, pressing my cheek against his chilled stone skin, inhaling his sandalwood and snow scent.

“Do you want to see Haylla before you leave?” I asked.

“Yes.” He straightened and headed outside towards the trees with me on his heels.

He waited for me to phase and then we both ran towards the rez.  My heart felt heavy and all I wanted to do was keep Demetri and our daughter safe, with me, far away from Aro. But if we didn’t deal with him, Aro would come back and torment us again, possibly costing us even more.

When we arrived at my childhood home, Haylla met us at the door, her blue eyes fearful.

“Papa!” she jumped into his arms as soon as the door shut behind us. “Are you going away? Edward and Bella were here earlier and told Ness that you’re going to Italy. You can’t leave! Please, Papa. I don’t want you to go.”

“We have to. It’s not over yet, my darling.” Demetri kissed her forehead.

“I want to help,” Haylla whispered. 

“No, dearest. You and your mama are best far away from this fight.”

Haylla looked at Demetri carefully, trying to read his face.  “ You’ll be safe, though, right?”

“I’ll be as safe as I possibly can.”

Haylla frowned. “That’s not a very good promise.”

“It’s all I can offer, Haylla. I won’t lie to you and say that it will be easy. But I will do everything I can to come back to you and your mother.”

I hated that she was so intelligent. She could easily see through the things we tried to shield her from and it broke my heart. My little girl was too grown up for me to do anything other than try to soften the blows and be there to protect her as best I could.

Haylla nodded sadly, her blue eyes filling with tears. “I guess I’ll just have to take what I can get.”

Demetri glanced at the clock. “We need to get going. We can’t let Aro have any more time to prepare for this than he already has.”

I caught his hand and he looked at me. Leaning over, he kissed me softly. Pressing his forehead to mine, he said, “Keep a candle in the window, darling.”

“Just come back to us.”

Cupping my cheek, he met my gaze for a long moment before turning and leaving the house.

As he left, I felt a fissure crack across my heart. Would this be the last time I saw him? Tears burned in my eyes and I fought to swallow around the lump in my throat. Haylla gripped my hand tightly with one hand and wrapped her over arm around my leg.

“We’ll be okay, won’t we, Mama?” Haylla whispered.

“I hope so.” I couldn’t lie to her, not now. As much as I wanted to keep her from this, I couldn’t think to lie, not when my imprint was even now possibly walking towards his death.

“Papa’s a good fighter.”

At her words, I realized what was happening. She was trying to calm me, to soothe me and guilt washed over me. Scooping Haylla into my arms, I walked over to the couch and sat down, holding my daughter close. I had a part of him in my arms even now, so no matter what happened, my little girl, proof that Demetri felt a connection to me from the beginning, carried a part of her father in her blood and written across her face.


	23. Chapter 23

I curled up on the couch and gathered Haylla to my chest. She wrapped her arms around my neck. How could this be happening? I’d only just found him and now fate conspired to take him from me. How could I survive this?

“He’ll come back, Mama. He has to,” Haylla whimpered and tightened her grip on me. She was already so strong, my pretty baby, strong enough to withstand the insanity of the supernatural.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the tightness in my throat prevented anything except for a sob coming from me. Tears spilled from my eyes and I buried my face against her hair to wipe my eyes as I in her comforting scent.

“Don’t cry, Mama.” Haylla patted my cheek.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to see me cry.” I sniffed, struggling to reign in my emotions.

Her blue eyes were so wide and worried, that guilt ate at me. My daughter shouldn’t be forced to see me like this and yet she was too wise for her own good and there was nothing I could do to hide it without sending her away. I couldn’t bear to be separated from her though because she was my only physical link to Demetri.

There was a knock on the door and Sue answered it.

“Rachel, come in.”

I looked up to see Rachel walk through the door.

“Jake told me,” she said simply. “I thought you might not be alone right now.”

No sure what to say in response, I shook my head, and Rachel sat down next to me, studying my face carefully. With a sympathetic sigh, she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and pressed her cheek against my hair.

“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met,” Rachel said. “What you’ve gone through, I could never survive it and yet here you are.”

“I don’t feel strong,” I whispered. “I feel like everything is being torn away from me and I don’t know how to stop it.”

“Even the strongest people have moments where they have to lean on others for a while. It’s okay to break once in a while”

I didn’t reply and Rachel seemed to understand that there was nothing I wanted to hear. She remained silent, not bothering to try to say the meaningless platitudes I hated so much, just sitting there with me, a silent supporter and the pain became a tiny bit more bearable.

 

“They’ll be landing in Florence soon,” Seth said with a look at the clock.

Rachel had had to go home several hours ago to help take care of Billy, but she’d promised to return. Once she left, my pack started taking shifts sitting with me. Any other time I might have been annoyed, but today I was grateful.

My ears pricked and I found myself focusing on the ticking clock. With every movement of the second hand, my heart rate picked up and I found myself chewing on my thumbnail in effort to find something else to think about.

The rang and I jumped to answer it. Haylla didn’t stir from her slumber as I laid her out on the couch next to where I’d been sitting and for that, I was relieved. She didn’t need to see me any more messed up than I already was.

“ _Leah.”_ It was Demetri.

“Hey.” I struggled to keep my voice even and I sagged against the counter. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“ _We’re coming up on Volterra in a few minutes. I just wanted to speak to you about something before we got there.”_

“What is it?” Tendrils of fear wove their fingers around my soul at the note in his voice. I couldn’t call on the wolf to save me this time, not unless I phased. But I couldn’t lose myself to the animal just yet, not while Demetri was on the phone.

“ _Leah, I need you to do something for me.”_

“Anything.” Dread filled me, but I couldn’t deny him.

“ _If anything happens to me, I need you to take care of Haylla. Live for her, please. She doesn’t need to lose both of her parents so soon. She’s just a baby and needs at least one of us to be there for her.”_

“Don’t talk like that!” I begged.

“ _Leah, I need to know Haylla will be okay.”_

“Don’t ask me to do that, please.” The thought of living without Demetri made it difficult to breathe and I wrapped my free arm around my chest to try to hold myself together. “You can’t ask this of me, please! I can’t live without you, you know this!”

“ _I can’t go into this without knowing our daughter is safe.”_ His voice turned hoarse. _“I don’t want to ask this of you, but I know I won’t be able to think clearly if I’m worrying about her. I need you to do this for me. This is what I need. You told me once that a wolf becomes whatever the imprint needs and I need you to be a mother to our child. Live for her, at least until she’s grown. Promise me, please.”_

I choked back a cry. “I promise.” He had never pulled that card before even though he knew he could still play it and as the words left his mouth, a steely resolve formed beneath the pain. This is what my imprint needed from me so this is what I would do.

“ _I love you,”_ Demetri said softly.

“Come back to me.” I swallowed thickly. “Come back to us. She needs her daddy too.”

“ _I’ll do everything I can, I promise.”_

“I should make you wait to hear this, to give you an incentive to come back, but I couldn’t bear it if you died without me saying it.” I choked back another sob. “I love you, so much and the time I’ve had with you is the happiest I’ve been since the supernatural came into my life.”

“ _I thank whatever god who will hear me that we crossed paths, lovely Leah and even if I do lose my life today, know this, I cannot regret meeting you. If I had to go back and live my life over again, I would die a thousand deaths if it meant I got to be with you just for a moment.”_ He fell silent after that, just keeping the connection open for a long moment, until a murmur on his end of the line disturbed us.

“You have to go, don’t you?”

“ _Yes. We’re coming up on the entrance now.”_

“If you die, I’m gonna drag you back from the other side and I’m gonna kill you myself,” I threatened. Even this hollow promise gave me the illusion of power and I was able to find just a little bit of composer in this final moment of the conversation.

He chuckled once,  _“I believe you, my darling. Goodbye.”_

The line went dead and a wail tore from my chest.  I rocked back and forth, unable to think of anything except that my imprint thought he might not come out of this alive. Someone,  my mother if my nose was anything to go by, wrapped their arms around me and my screams quieted into soft whimpers. If this was how I felt when faced with the possibility of his death, I didn’t want to think of how it might feel to have him actually die.

P eople spoke somewhere far away and over my head, but I couldn’t focus. I didn’t want to. Words were cruel, unnecessary things, bringing nothing but pain wherever they went.

“Mama, make it stop,” I whispered. “Please, Mama, it hurts.”

“I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry,” Sue said as she brushed my hair out of my face and held me as tightly as she could. 

“Why, Mama? What did I do to deserve this?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, honey. It’s not your fault.” Sue rubbed my back. “You don’t know if he’s dead or not yet. You have to have hope, baby. He’s a strong fighter and he’s not going in there alone. Just wait for that phone call before you give up completely. He could come through this alive. After all, wasn’t it his training that kept you alive during the fight?”

“Yes.” I sank against my mother, no longer able to keep up with the storm of emotions inside me. She was right. Demetri might come out of this alive. I had to believe that. But I didn’t want to hope because if my hope was destroyed, I might not be able to carry through with my promise to him.

Sue kept running her hand over my hair, trying to soothe me the only way she knew how.

In the other room, I heard Rachel talking to Haylla but I couldn’t understand the words. My mind seemed unable to comprehend much of anything and I hated that I couldn’t take care of my child. I wasn’t the only one who would lose, but I couldn’t fight, not right now.

It could have been hours or days, but finally the phone rang again,  cutting through the  fog .

I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to know.  I tried to bury my face in my arms so I couldn’t hear the terrible news the caller likely bore.  But someone pushed the  offending  plastic against my  ear anyways,  forcing me to listen.

“ _Leah. It’s over.”_

“Demetri!” Relief washed over me and I gripped the phone to my face as if I could bring him closer to me through the device. “You’re okay!”

“ _Yes, my darling._ _Not even a scratch_ _and we’ve taken everyone apart_ _._ _”_ He paused for a moment. _“I’m so sorry I asked that of you._ _I never would have done it if I felt I had another choice._ _I just needed to know that Haylla would have at least one of her parents while she grew up_ _if something were to happen to me_ _.”_

“I’m not angry. I know why you did it.” I made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a cry, still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the Volturi threat was no longer an issue. “You can make it up to me when you get home.”

“ _Oh, trust me, my darling, I plan to.”_ The slight teasing note in his voice let me know exactly how he planned to make it up to me.

“When will you be coming back?”

“ _There are some loose ends to tie up here, but hopefully we’ll be in the air in a few hours. It all depends on how quickly we can get through this. I think Alice is about to start scowling at me for taking longer than necessary to tell you that I’m still alive. She needs my help with- never mind that.”_

“I’ll see you when you land. I owe you an ass kicking.” He was hiding something from me. But I was too relieved that he was still alive to question him further.

“Is that Papa?” Haylla ran into the room, her eyes wide. “May I speak to him?”

“Here he is.” I handed her the phone.

Haylla took the phone, a serious expression on her face. “Papa, don’t you ever do that to Mama again. She was crying!”

“ _I’m sure she’ll make me pay for that later.”_

“You’ve got to get back to work, don’t you?”

“ _The sooner we get things dealt with here, the sooner I can come home.”_

“Okay, bye, Papa.”

“ _I love you, sweetheart.”_

She gave me the phone. “Say goodbye really quickly so he ca n get his stuff done and come home .”

I put the phone back against my ear. “You heard the lady, get back to work.”

“ _See you soon, my darling.”_

“See you.”

The call ended and I slowly got to my feet. In a few hours, Demetri would be back with me and life would be okay.


	24. Chapter 24

Now that the danger had passed, I was riding high.

Just after nine o’clock, I left the house, Haylla clinging to my back.

“Where are we going, Mama?” Haylla asked, bouncing a little, my mood affecting her too.

“I was thinking about spending the day with Rachel. Would you like that?” I made a little jump and Haylla giggled.

“When will Papa be home, do you think?”

“I’m not sure. He said they have some things to take care of first. I think he’ll call before he leaves and if not, then he’ll find us when he lands.”

As we approached the Black house, I saw Sam and Emily standing on the front porch

“Leah,” Sam greeted coldly.

“Sam.” I tilted my head. “Hey, Billy, is Rachel here?”

“Leah!” Rachel ran out, a smile on her face. “Jake told me that Demetri called last night.”

“Yeah.”

“Hi, Rachel!” Haylla waved. “Papa’s coming home soon!”

Sam made a sound in the back of his throat and I glanced at him. His jaw was tight and I shot a look at Emily. She was staring intently at the ground, almost no emotion on her face, except for the suspect sheen in her eyes.

“Haylla, why don’t you go with Rachel for a minute. I want to talk to Sam.” I set my daughter on the ground, watching as she ran towards Rachel, before I walked towards the garage. I didn’t look back, but I heard him following me.

Once we were out of earshot, I said, “Sam, you’ve gotta let me go. Every time you react the way you do towards me, you hurt Emily. Is that what you want? To look at her, to see the pain in her eyes and know you put it there? You, Sam. Not me. I’m over you, I’m not in love with you anymore. I haven’t been in love with you for a long time. I have Demetri and Haylla now and they’re my life. You have to move on, forget about me.”

“This wasn’t my choice,” Sam said quietly, more pain in his voice than I’d heard in a long time as he stepped closer to me. “I’m bound to someone I never chose.”

“That’s too bad because this is our life now.” I held up my hand, stopping him. “You imprinted on Emily and I imprinted on Demetri. Fate decided we were meant to take separate paths and we have to accept it.”

“That’s it then? I’ve been inside your head, Leah. I know how you feel about me.”

“And you haven’t been in my head in months. You weren’t there when I imprinted and you don’t see how I feel towards him, towards my daughter. They’re everything to me. Yes, there is a part of me that still cares for you, but not the way I used to. You’re not my future, they are and the sooner you accept this, the better.”

A tear trickled down his cheek. “I wanted to marry you and I still love you.”

“You feel that way because you never allowed yourself to let me go,” I said. “You still held on to what was and being in my head for those months only made it worse. I’m not the one for you, Sam. Could we really have been happy together? Think about it, really think about it. We may have started out happy, but we would have ended up miserable. I’m too strong, too abrasive for you to stay with me. We would have ended up in a divorce before five years was out. But Emily fits you. She doesn’t overpower you like I would have. Why can’t you see that?”

“What about Demetri, what does he do for you, I mean besides the sex?”

I chose to ignore his dig about my and Demetri’s bedroom activities and answered the rest of his question, “He can stand up to me when I need it, but gives me my head other times. When I’m with him, the edges of me don’t feel so sharp.”

Sam turned away from me, raking his hands through his hair. “I hate the supernatural.”

“I can’t; I can’t hate it,” I admitted with a shake of my head. “If the supernatural wasn’t real, Demetri would have died a thousand years ago. I can’t imagine living in a world where I didn’t have him. I don’t want to, it hurts too much.”

How could he say that? How could he wish that this force that had brought Demetri to me didn’t exist? How could he wish this all consuming love I felt for my imprint away from me? The cables tying me to my imprint tightened even more, as if to prove to me that they were still there.

“You’re just going to give up?”

“What’s there to give up on?” I shook my head. “I’m happy, happier than I’ve ever been my whole life. I finally feel like I belong somewhere and that my life has a meaning and purpose beyond anything I ever thought possible.”

“Is it because he’s better in bed than I am?” Sam asked bitterly. “You certainly made a point of emphasizing that when we were at the Cullens that first time after you moved in with them.”

“Yes, he’s amazing in bed!” I snapped, irritated by him continually bringing up my sex life. If he wanted to talk about it, I wasn’t going to avoid it. “But it’s more than just sex. In the short time I’ve known him, he’s healed more wounds than I remembered I had. He understands me in ways you never got and I can’t walk away from that! I don’t want to. Let me go, Sam! Just let me go, because as long as you keep holding on to me, the more pain you’ll cause Emily and that’s not what she needs from you.”

“Leah, please.”

“No, Sam.” I grabbed his arm, forcing him to face me. “The difference between you and me, the reason why I was able to be with Demetri with no regrets and I don’t want to be with you anymore is because I wanted to let you go. I wanted to be free of my feelings for you and when I imprinted on Demetri, it worked exactly as it was supposed to: he became everything to me and any remaining feelings of love that I once had for you disappeared.”

“Then why didn’t it work like that for me?”

“Because you didn’t want it to.” I shook my head. “Before I phased, I was doing okay, I was just about over you and then I became a wolf and found out how you still felt for me. You were selfish! You wanted me to stay in love with you and that ripped me apart!”

“Leah-”

I took two steps away from him before facing him. “Let me go, Sam. Free yourself. Love Emily the way she was meant to be loved. I may not be as close to her as I once was, thanks to you, but I still care about her and I won’t stand by while you break her heart like you broke mine.”

“I’m sorry, Leah.”

“No, Sam. You’re not. You just want your cake and to eat it too.” I stabbed my finger into his chest. “Let go, Sam. Let go and move on. Emily is your life and Demetri is my eternity.” Brushing past him, I headed back towards the house.

Emily looked up when I walked through the door. The subtle fear in her eyes made me wonder just what she thought we were doing. I closed the door firmly behind me and sat down on the couch beside her, resting my forearm over my eyes.

“Is everything okay?” Rachel asked hesitantly.

“Not right now. But it will be, I think.” I gave her a half smile.

“Leah, tell me about this freeing that Demetri did. Jake tried to explain it to me, but it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. You mind clearing things up?”

I sighed, closing my eyes, reliving the moment my mind became my own. “He said that he wanted me to be my own own person. He didn’t want me to leave him, but he didn’t want the love of a slave, which is what he thinks of imprinting.”

“What if the wolf doesn’t want to stay?” Emily whispered.

I looked at her, unsure of what to say. I wanted to tell her that she had no right looking to me for help. How dare she expect sympathy from me after everything she and Sam had done to me? Instead of saying what I wanted, I held my tongue, waiting for her to continue.

“He’s still in love with you,” she continued. “I hoped that with the separation of the packs, things would be better. But all it did was show me the cracks in our relationship, and they got even worse after you imprinted.”

I struggled to keep my face neutral, but said nothing. Did she not see the irony of the situation? Her happiness had come at the price of my pain and now that I was truly happy, her own happiness was shown to be nothing but a house of cards. Had she really changed so much since the imprinting that she didn’t see anything wrong with it now?

Rachel caught my eye and raised an eyebrow.

“The wolf is bound to their imprint, regardless of whether or not they have their free will. I’m still his, even though I can fight him and fight with him. He’s still my imprint and I want nothing more than for him to be happy.” I jumped up, heading towards the kitchen, not wanting to talk about this with Emily any longer. “I’m hungry. What’ve you got to eat?”

“Let me see,” Rachel followed me.

The way she acted told me that she was up to something, so I waited for her to say whatever it is she wanted to say.

As she rifled through the fridge, Rachel leaned towards me and whispered under her breath, “I’m going to talk to Emily once you’re gone. I think I’ve heard enough to know what the real problem is, but you shouldn’t be there.”

She took out a plate of scrambled egg bake and set it in the microwave.

“You’re sure that she needs to hear this?” I asked under my breath.

“Yes. Sam heard it from you, now Emily needs to hear it from someone else. She won’t listen to you, but she might listen to me. Paul’s not a part of your pack and you and I were never very close, so it’ll be easier I think.”

The microwave beeped and I opened the door, taking the plate out with my bare hands. It hurt a little, but I healed so fast that I barely registered it as I grabbed a fork.

“She’s your family, Leah. You’ll try to spare you the pain she needs to feel,” Rachel said just under the rattle of silverware.

Glancing at her, I started scarfing down the food.

“I’ll let you know how it goes. Maybe this’ll be what they need to finally move on, to see where they went wrong and make it right with you and with each other.”

I nodded around the bite in my mouth as we headed back to the living room. I curled up on the couch, with the plate balanced on my knees.

“Mama, does that taste good?” Haylla asked.

“It does to me,” I said before taking another bite.

“May I try some?”

I sliced off a tiny bite and fed it to her. She chewed and swallowed, frowning.

“That is gross. I think I’ll have to agree with Papa. Human food feels weird.”

I finished the rest of the food and set the plate on the end table. “I’ll find a food you like, I promise.”

Before she could say anything, someone pounded on the door.

“Leah!” Seth shouted. “He’s on his way back!”

I jumped to my feet and headed towards the door. Haylla leaped onto my back and we left together.

“Papa’s coming home,” she cheered in my ear. “And Benjamin will be there and maybe Kebi will tell me more stories.”

“They still have to fly home,” I laughed. “It’ll be a couple of hours before they even get to New York and then they’ll still have to fly to Seattle.”

“I know. I know. But they’re on their way!”


	25. Chapter 25

I paced the floor, waiting for the time when Demetri would finally come through customs.

“Papa!” Haylla shouted, standing up in her chair and pointing.

I spun to see, and sure enough, it was Demetri coming through the crowds. Picking Haylla up, I walked as quickly as I could towards him. He sprinted, at human speed, the last few feet and caught us against his chest.

“It was hell,” I whispered, before kissing him. He was here, he was safe. He’d come back to me. I felt tears trickle down my cheeks, but I couldn’t be bothered to wipe them away, because removing them meant that I wasn’t touching Demetri.

“Shh, my darling. I’m alright,” he breathed against my hair.

It didn’t matter to me that we were causing a bit of a scene in the airport. My imprint was in one piece and the Volturi threat was over. Aro couldn’t come after us anymore. Demetri was safe from him for the rest of our lives. I pressed my face against his neck and I heard Haylla sigh happily as she too pressed herself against her father.

“We would have been back sooner, but we were held up.”

“What happened?” I leaned back, looking at him, worriedly.

“Look.” He turned me so that I could see Rosalie walking towards us, a bundle in her arms. She had the biggest smile on her face. Emmett followed her, almost protectively, and he too looked so happy, far happier than I’d ever seen.

I blinked, unsure what I was seeing, then I realized.

“It’s a baby!”

“It seems as though Aro decided to start experimenting right away. The boy’s birth mother died the day before we arrived, so Alice had to scramble to get the documents in order so she could bring him home. From what we gathered, Marcus was the biological father. I think he was hoping that if the child inherited his gift, Aro would let him die.”

“Rosalie’s a mother,” I said with a smile. What she’d spent eighty odd years wanting more than anything was now finally hers.

“That she is. As far as anyone is concerned, Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale were on vacation in Italy when she gave birth to their son.”

By this time, Rosalie reached us and I got a good look at the boy. He was a beautiful little thing and did resemble his parents a great deal, dark curly hair, dark eyes, and beautiful, just like any biological child of the pair might have possessed.

“His name is Leland McCarty Cullen,” Rosalie said. “Come on, let’s get to the cars so I can introduce you properly.

“Leland?” I looked from Demetri to Emmett to Rosalie. “Did you-?”

“We decided to name him after you,” Rosalie said. “You named your daughter after me, so I thought it only fair.”

“Wow.” My heart filled, healing another broken piece of me. Rosalie had become a sister to me, not that I’d say it out loud. But she’d become the friend I hadn’t had since turning, the one who understood what it meant to be shoved into a life we didn’t want and to have everything we wanted stripped away, only to find what we didn’t know we needed and so much more.

Demetri kissed my hair and squeezed me gently.

“He’s small,” Haylla whispered.

“Babies are small, sweetheart.” Demetri took Haylla in one arm and wrapped his other arm around me.

She scowled at the baby and turned her head sharply away.

“Don’t be jealous, Haylla,” Demetri said. “Rosalie still loves you. Her having a baby doesn’t change that.”

“You promise?”

“I swear it. She will always love you.”

“She might not have enough love to go around.”

“But you see? That’s the beautiful thing about love,” Demetri said and kissed Haylla’s temple. “Just when you think you’ve run out of room in your heart to love people, it grows bigger, so you can add more. You always have the capacity to love someone new.”

“Just like I loved Mama before I was born and then I loved you and Rosalie and everyone else after I met all of you?”

“Exactly.”

By the time we reached the cars, Haylla seemed to have accepted that Rosalie could have her own baby and still love her at the same time.

“Keys?” Emmett held up his hand and I threw them at him.

Demetri, Haylla, and I slid into the back seat, while Rosalie took the front passenger position.

“I have to warn you, Leah, that he is venomous,” Rosalie said.

“Good to know.”

Leland gave me a winning smile, with closed lips, as if trying to prove that he wasn’t a danger to me.

“I’m not afraid, honey. It just means I have to be a little more careful around you so there aren’t any accidents.”

“It takes a lot to scare Leah,” Emmett said, catching Leland’s foot in his hand, tugging on it. “I swear, that girl is made of something stronger than diamond, that’s for sure.”

“Where there any other women or children?” I asked.

“No. Leland was the only child. Corin was taking care of him.” Demetri brushed that stubborn lock off of Haylla’s forehead and I wondered what he was thinking.

“Where is Corin now?” Was my next question.

“She’s with Jasper, following behind us, along with Renata,” Rosalie said. “Just so he can try to keep them calm. They’re both a bit of a mess right now because the people they were supposed to take care of are dead.”

“It’s gotta be hard,” I commented. “The guards that rarely left the tower have to be devastated by all of this. Aro would have seen that their loyalty was the strongest it could be and now the object of that loyalty is dead.”

“It is. They will struggle for a very long time before the affects of Chelsea’s gift finally wears off.” He looked out the window. “I got lucky. Because of the imprinting, her control over me disintegrated and I became my own person. But the others, they don’t have that luxury.”

I ran my fingers through the back of his hair, in effort to calm him. He glanced over at me with a slight smile.

“If they’re as strong as you believe, they will get through this. It will take time, but they’ll survive.”

Demetri sighed. “You’re right. It’s just so difficult seeing my friends suffering and know that I was a part of that. But what choice did I have? Aro threatened both you and Haylla to my face!”

“I about jumped him for that myself,” Emmett said, a hint of a snarl in his voice.

“I couldn’t let him live after that. If I hadn’t killed him, there would have been no stopping him from destroying what I cared about most and turning me into another Marcus. I couldn’t live like that. No time in the world would be worth that pain.”

Instead of speaking, I leaned my head against his shoulder. I didn’t know what to say. My imprint was in turmoil, torn by what he’d done to protect his family now and the resulting pain his actions caused those who had been his family for so many centuries.

“Leah’s right, you know,” Rosalie said. “Your friends are strong. That’s why they were able to survive for so long in the Volturi. Give it time. They’ll see that you were right to do as you did.”

“And you didn’t do it alone,” Emmett added. “We were all right there with you. This is on all of us, not just you.”

The rest of the trip was spent in near silence, aside from Rosalie talking to Leland, in soft murmurs.

The caravan pulled up in front of the house and we all climbed out.

“Are we gonna put the people back together now?” Haylla asked as we walked inside.

“Yes,” Demetri said. Setting Haylla down, he disappeared up the stairs and came back down with the big, dark haired vampire he’d brought in.

“Felix,” Carlisle said. “I suppose that would make the most sense, all things considered.”

Demetri carefully put his friend back together again and after a second’s hesitation, Felix’s blinked, leaping to his feet.

Haylla ducked behind me, peering around me to look at the newly resurrected vampire.

“I take it the Cullens won,” Felix said.

“Yes,” Demetri replied. “The Volturi is no more. We’ve spared all we felt we could.”

“Was she really worth it, Demetri?”

“I love her, Felix, and we have a daughter together.”

Haylla waved at him from behind my legs.

“A wolf, Demetri?” Felix wrinkled his nose.

“Laugh all you want, Felix, but she’s the only one of her kind.”

Felix said something in another language and Demetri chuckled, shaking his head.

“Who should we wake up next?”

For the next two hours, they put the vampires back together again. Most didn’t take to it as easily as Felix had, which made me think that he and Demetri shared a bond of friendship far deeper than Chelsea’s gift could reach. But eventually they came around to accepting.

The last one they put back together was a voluptuous red head that probably would come up just passed my elbow. Demetri didn’t seem to care too much to help with that one. Instead, he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me.

“Catherine, or Kitty, as she prefers,” Demetri said by way of explanation.

When Kitty leaped to her feet, the first thing she did was look quickly around the room at the assembled vampires.

“Demetri!” she squealed.

“Catherine,” he said coldly.

She didn’t seem to notice his reaction, because she pranced over to him and latched onto his arm.

“Let go of me,” he hissed.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“When have I ever been happy to see you, Catherine?” He pulled her off and pushed her away. “You were a nuisance when we first met and you’re an annoyance now.”

“But Aro said-”

“Aro is dead,” Demetri snapped. “I killed him for threatening my mate.”

“Mate?” Kitty tossed her head. “Don’t tell me you think that the wolf girl is your mate, Demetri. You’re not that stupid.”

“I do know what love is, Kitty and I love Leah.”

“No!” Kitty shook her head, her curls swinging in her face with every movement of her head. “You were supposed to love me!”

“I’ve known you for four centuries, Catherine. If my opinion of you hadn’t changed in that time, it’s not likely to ever change.”

“So what, you’re going to ride off into the sunset with the wolf bitch?”

“Don’t talk about my mother like that!” Haylla growled with a stomp of her foot. She walked over to Kitty and glowered at her, her body trembling just a little. “Papa’s her imprint and he loves her so you can go burn up!”

Felix let out a deafening laugh. “That temper definitely doesn’t come from Demetri.”

“She gets it from me,” I said.

That shaking, I knew it all too well. Haylla would phase, sooner or later, if that was anything to go by. I exchanged glances with Demetri and his lips thinned just a little. What would this mean for her? We were treading all new territory here and it frightened me a little.

“She’ll be a wolf, won’t she?” Edward asked, catching my train of thought.

“More than likely,” I replied.

“I’m gonna phase?” Haylla spun around, her anger at Kitty momentarily forgotten in her excitement. “I’m gonna be a wolf, like you, Mama?”

“Looks like it.”

“Yay! Then I can really fight with Embry!”

“Disgusting,” Kitty sneered. “Filthy little half-breed.”

This time, I got into the vampire’s face. Years of racist epitaphs, of being looked down on for living on a reservation, the mocking from white people for being Quileute, flashed through my mind and I wouldn’t allow my daughter to experience that if I could help it.

“Listen to me, you entitled little tick.” I grabbed her throat and lifted her off her feet. “If you ever you language like that around my daughter again, I will tear you apart and force you to watch while I burn you, limb by limb.” Dropping her, I returned to Demetri’s side.

Kitty squeaked, and ducked away, eyes wide.

“Damn.” Felix sounded truly impressed. “I want a girl like that.”

Demetri chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around me before kissing me.

“You really will choose a wolf over me?” Kitty whimpered. “She doesn’t smell very good.”

“I hadn’t noticed.” Demetri brushed my hair out of my eyes and kissed me again.

“He’s in love,” Tia said. “Our partner’s flaws don’t matter when compared to how incredible they are.”

“No one is going to do anything about this?”

“What’s there to do about it?” Benjamin shrugged. “Once we fall in love, it’s forever. Besides, I rather like Leah myself.”

“Run along now,” Rosalie said with a vicious smile.

“You can’t tell me what to do!” Kitty bared her teeth, causing Emmett to growl, a low rumble in his chest.

Before anyone could do anything else, Felix took her head off.

“It had to be done,” he said as he carried the parts outside. “She wasn’t going to let it go.”

“Maybe we could-”

“Esme,” Edward interrupted, his voice gentle. “There was no saving her. Her obsession with Demetri was only going to get worse. She was already making plans to kill Leah.”

Esme sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

The sickly sweet stench of burning vampire wafted into the room, marking the end of Kitty and I felt a surge of satisfaction that she couldn’t try to get to my imprint ever again. It was just too bad I hadn’t dispatched her myself.

“What happens now?” A small, slender woman, just a few inches taller than Alice asked. I studied her for a moment, trying to place her. “We need to do something to make sure our world doesn’t dissolve into chaos.”

“Corin does have a point,” Jasper said. “I think now, with everyone gathered, we can come up with something.”

“What if each coven was responsible for their region?” Benjamin looked around. “And to ensure we do as we are mandated, we’re each accountable to each other. That way no one coven holds all the power, but the supernatural still remains a secret?”

Haylla must have decided that the conversation was boring, because she found Kebi and led her outside, probably for another story.

“That sounds fair,” Sioban said. “My family will take care of Ireland.”

“We, the Denali sisters, and the gathered nomads watch out for North America,” Carlisle added.

The discussion continued for a while, but I tuned them out. I had no interest in vampire politics. All that mattered to me was that my daughter, my imprint, and my people were safe.

Finally, just as the sun rose, the meeting ended.

Grabbing Demetri’s hand, I led him from the room and outside.

Once I was in wolf form, I led him deeper into the woods.

Breaking through the last of the trees, I returned to human form.

“This is where we spent our first night together, is it not?” Demetri asked, looking around.

“Yes.” I tugged his head down to mine with one hand and started working the buttons of his shirt with the other. “I need you.”

His eyes darkened and he tugged on my lower lip with his teeth as he helped me get him out of his clothes. Sliding his hands down my thighs, he lifted my legs around his waist before going to his knees, his mouth never leaving mine.

As he tilted me backwards, his lips trailed to my neck.

“I love you,” I gasped.

“ _S ‘agap_ _ó_ _t_ _ó_ _so pol_ _ý_ _. E_ _ísai ta pánta gia ména_ ,” Demetri groaned against my collarbone, then trailed his nose down to my breast.

“I don’t speak Greek.”

“I love you so much. You’re everything to me,” he whispered before taking a nipple into his mouth.

Unlike the first time I’d been with him, there was no fear, only love. I loved him with everything I had in me.

“The beautiful thing about being immortal,” Demetri murmured, his cool breath brushing my wet skin, “is that we never get tired of this. I will want you as much in a thousand years as I do right now, and I will love you even more.”

“Don’t wait,” I whispered. “Please.”

“As you wish, my darling.” He kissed my lips softly as with upmost gentleness, he thrust into me and the rest of the world fell away.


	26. Chapter 26

“I’ve been thinking,” Demetri said, resting his head on his forearm and staring at the gray sky. I wasn’t sure what time it was, except that it was some around near noon. How long had we been here? I wasn’t entirely sure, but I knew it had been at least a day.

“About?” I rolled over to look at him.

“About getting a place, a permanent place, something like the Denali sisters. I have no desire to interact with humans more than I have to, so if we live near enough to a large city, there will be enough people that no one will really notice us, other than that we’re attractive, but they won’t remember anything more than that. Maybe have a human agent like the Cullens to to get our identities sorted out as needed.”

“I’d like that.” I ran my hand down his bare chest. “Where were you thinking?”

“Somewhere not far from here, Oregon or Washington maybe, so I’m not trapped indoors during the day.” He glanced at me. “I’ve got money and can buy a large enough tract of land that no one would get close enough to us to realize that we’re not human.”

“Near enough to my mom that I can be there for her but far enough away that we can remain anonymous.”

“So we can start looking for a place?”

“Yeah. Maybe Esme can design a house for us if we don’t find place we like.”

“Or maybe she can design a place for us anyway. I’ve got a lot of things still in Volterra that I’ve collected, and I’d like to have them with me.”

“Like what?”

“Books, jewelry, furniture, things that caught my fancy over the centuries.”

“What about clothes?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He grinned.

“Not that I mind your aversion to wearing anything beneath your jackets and flashy shirts, but that makes me think you’ve always been a touch flamboyant.”

“I’ve got some things you might find amusing, but I get bored easily with most clothing, so I never keep anything for very long.”

I moved to straddle him, pinning his hands above his head.

“What about me?” I teased, then whispered against his lips, “You’re wearing me now.”

“I think I can make an exception.” He placed his hands on my hips and slid them up my torso to cup my breasts, lifting them up, weighing them in his palms. “Fashions do change, I’ll admit, but a having a beautiful woman with eyes of fire on your arm is always in vogue.”

“Beauty standards change.”

He flipped us so that I landed on my back and said, “Well-shaped cheekbones, a full mouth, and eyes that can pierce your soul have been considered beautiful for as long as I’ve been alive, especially where I grew up.” He kissed my cheek. “I may not remember much of my human life, but I do remember what I found attractive.”

“I care about the Cullens, but there’s only so much of them I can take before they become too much.”

Demetri chuckled, “Vampires are an intense race, best taken in small doses, especially the younger ones. They are less in control of their emotions.”

“At what point do they become more bearable?”

“After about the second century of this life, from my experience.”

“It’ll be a relief to have the house mostly back to normal,” I said. “As much as the Cullens can get to me, the others just make it so much worse.”

“Not to worry, darling, the only ones left in within a hundred mile radius are Felix and Amun’s coven.”

A wolf howled somewhere to the east, an almost panicked sound, and I sighed. There must have been some kind of trouble for him to sound like that. What happened now? Didn’t we get passed all the emergencies for a while?

“We need to get dressed, don’t we?” Demetri rose onto his knees, pulling me up with him.

“I wonder what’s going on.” I grabbed my clothes and tied them to my leg in preparation for travel.

“It’s a shame.” He tugged on my hand, dragging me to him.

“What is?” I pressed a quick kiss to his lips before raking my fingers through my hair to remove the leaves that had accumulated there.

The wolf howled again, a little closer this time.

“That.” He tilted his head towards the sound.

I phased and found the pack mind in turmoil.

_I thought she would never do this!_

_Isn’t she supposed to have super control?!?!?!_

_She was around Charlie just after she woke up, no problem. Why would she slip now?_

_What happened?_ I asked.

_Bella. She killed her mom and Phil._ Jake replied. The confusion over what he should do bleeding through his thoughts.  _They showed up unannounced and Renee got hurt. Bella was there alone and she lost control. I showed up just after Phil died._

The image in his head showed Bella on her knees, mouth smeared with blood, screaming in agony.

_Oh, my god._ I wasn’t the  newborn’s biggest fan, but I knew from Jake that  Bella was particularly close to her mother and felt responsible for her  when she lived in Phoenix,  making their relationship an almost inverted mother/daughter bond . Now, to have to live with what she’d done, that had to be devastating for her.

_I don’t know what to do. She killed someone, but she’s Ness’s mother. If I do anything against Bella, Ness suffers._

_The original treaty wasn’t meant to cover imprints._ I said.  _Make it clear that you’ll accept this as a one off accident, but if she makes it a habit, we’re going to have to send her away from this area and never allow her back. If she does return, you’ll be forced to kill her._

_I’ll speak to Sam. We have to come to a full consensus about this._

_Leave my name out of it._ I cautioned.  _Sam won’t listen so well if_

“Shall we?” Demetri asked.

I nodded once.

“Is it bad?”

I raised my shoulders than dropped them before nodded.

“Complicated then, is it? Let’s not keep them waiting.”

We ran towards the house, this time shadowed by a tension of a different kind.

When we stepped onto the porch, we found Bella rocking back and forth, dry sobbing, with Esme rubbing her shoulders.

Inhaling, I walked over to her and sat down.

“I killed my father, you know,” I said. “Maybe not directly, but my phasing triggered his heart attack. He would have had a few more years at least, if it wasn’t for me. I know it’s not the same, but I do know what it’s like to have the blood of someone you loved on your hands.”

“How do you deal with it?” Bella whispered.

“By taking one step at a time, one day at a time. It’s all you can do”

“Vampires don’t heal from loss, not like a human. Once they lose someone, they don’t move passed it.” She looked at me, her eyes red with the blood of someone she loved.

“Don’t. Don’t do what I did. Don’t internalize it. You’ll only destroy yourself and everyone you have left. For the last year I blamed myself entirely and I became someone no one wanted to be around if they didn’t have to be. But then Demetri helped me.”

“Demetri.” Bella scoffed softly and shook her head. 

“No, listen. You’re a vampire, a new vampire. You have to accept that it was an accident. With what you’ve been through with the Volturi, you were too stressed and then your mom caught you off guard. You did nothing wrong. You were home, a place you should be safe and they came here, unexpected. You had no time to prepare yourself, unlike the other times you were around humans and when presented with that situation, you lost control.”

“What about Jake?”

“The Black pack came to a decision, but Sam still has to be informed. I’ll let Jake tell you how that goes down. Don’t worry, no one’s coming to kill you.”

Bella nodded once. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For understanding.”

“I just don’t want to see someone else make the same mistakes I did.” Looking around, I asked, “Where’re Rosalie and Alice?”

“They’re the experts in cleaning up messes like this. I believe they’re staging a car accident of some kind off the bridge.” Esme replied. “They should be back shortly.”

B ella dropped her head back onto Esme’s shoulder. “I never thought I’d be the one they had to clean up after.”

“And maybe that’s the problem,” Demetri said softly.

“What do you mean?” Bella glanced over at him.

“The reason why Carlisle has never killed anyone is because he knows that any day could be the day he slips up. It’s when you allow yourself to think you’re above such mistakes that you allow your control to slip and then you become vulnerable.” 

I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. The wolf clawed at the door of my mind, wanting to attack. She’d killed a human,  the proof of it in her scarlet gaze,  and my very existence was tied to their protection.  I  stood up and turned towards the house, tilting my head as I listened. 

“Emmett has the children in Haylla’s room,” Esme explained. “We didn’t want the children exposed to this so much, so Emmett volunteered to get them somewhere they wouldn’t see anything.”

“Did they see anything?”

“Renesmee and Haylla were in the living room. I think they may have seen something, but enough to understand what was going on.”

“Is he reading them a story?”

“Telling them one, more like it, a very tall one.”

I didn’t fight the  quick chuckle as I walked inside, Demetri on my heels. 

We walked silently up the stairs, towards Haylla’s room.

The  bedroom  door was open and we  peered inside to find Emmett sitting on the floor with the girls in front of him,  eyes wide .  He cradled Leland in his arms and the little boy was staring at him, enraptured by whatever Emmett was saying.

“Then what happened?” Haylla asked.

Emmett looked up at us and grinned. “Your mom and dad showed up, taking you away.”

“Mama!” Haylla cried.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower, but I’ll be right back. I just wanted to check on you before I did.” I really didn’t want her getting close enough to smell the scent of sex on me and start asking questions. “Maybe Emmett would like to finish his story in the meantime. I know Leland looks a little irritated that we’ve interrupted the story.”

“Okay.” She focused her attention back onto Emmett.

T urning on the water, I stepped under the spray and tilted my head back. 

The bathroom door opened and then cold  arms wrapped around my waist.  I sighed and leaned my head back against his chest.

“Mind if I join you?” Demetri murmured against my hair, his hands sliding down my stomach.

“We’re not having sex with Haylla still awake,” I whispered as I turned around to face him.

“Spoil sport.” He pouted and kissed me before grinning mischievously at me.

“If you can’t behave, I’m gonna kick you out.” I slapped him lightly.

“What will she say if she finds me on the floor, completely naked?”

“I have no idea, but I’m sure you’d figure out something.” I grabbed the soap and squeezed some out onto the sponge.

Demetri leaned close to me, pressing his lips to my ear, and whispered, “ N ow, Isabella  has no reason to look down her nose at me for my former lifestyle.  She’s tasted human blood as a vampire, just like almost every single other vampire in existence. ”

“Be nice. She’s just lost her mother.”

“Arrogance was her downfall. Now, she’s no better than the rest of us.”

“Just don’t talk like that where she can hear you. It doesn’t help anything.”

“Allow me to gloat for a moment. I’ll be respectful and polite later.”

A  commotion down stairs caught my attention and I listened for a moment.

“Alice and Rosalie just got back,” Demetri said.

“Which means Charlie will be coming by soon. And since most of Bella’s school friends went to Washington State, we’ll have to expect them to show up over the next several days too.”

“It will soon be time to play pretend for the humans.”


	27. Chapter 27

The day of the funeral dawned cloudy, with the threat of rain, perfect weather for vampires to go out.

I found Bella standing in front of the mirror in Edward’s old room, staring at herself, her face expressionless. The Cullens seemed to be walking on eggshells around her, unsure of what to do or say, unlike me, who said what I thought and regretted it later, maybe.

“Bella,” I said, walking into the room. “Are you ready? It’s time to go.”

“I’m a monster.”

“No. A true monster wouldn’t be capable of feeling the way that you are.”

“I killed my mother!” She looked at me with eyes still red with human blood even though she’d fed every day since Renee’s death.

“This is the last thing you can do for her. Pay your respects and lay her to rest.”

“The last thing she saw was me killing her!”

“She was probably dead before she even had time to realize who attacked her. If she registered anything, she probably thought it was a wild animal, not her daughter, because her daughter loves her and would never want to cause her pain.”

“So I’m an animal?”

“You were a vampire, confronted with spilled blood. From what I’ve heard, only those with years of experience could have stopped themselves, especially with the way Renee smelled. According to Demetri, she ran a very close second to how you smelled as a human in terms of appeal.”

“You’re really not going to let me wallow, are you?”

“No. Wallowing only makes it harder to put yourself together again. Feeling the pain is one thing. But refusing to live is something else. Believe me. I’ve been there.”

Bella sighed and pulled the veil of her black hat down over her face, an accessory to hide just how much she’d changed since her transformation, as well as conceal her eyes, just in case the contacts disintegrated before she could change them.

“For what it’s worth, I think your mother would love the way you’re dressed. From what I’ve heard, she loved the dramatic and that’s how you look right now, grieving dramatically.”

“I can’t cry,” she whispered. “My tears were burned away by the venom. I want to just cry until I have nothing left, but I can’t. I can feel the tears, but they just won’t fall.”

“If it rains today, know that it’s your tears falling from the sky because your pain is too great to be contained inside of you.”

“Why are you being so nice? We’ve never been friends before.”

“Because, right now, I’m the one who understands what you’re feeling the most, so I know a little better how to keep you from falling to pieces before it gives everything away.” I left the room, a little uncomfortable with how things seemed to be progressing between Bella and me since Renee’s death.

I used to hate her, despise her for the pain she caused Jake and by extension, the rest of the pack. But now, I could empathize with her in a way since we had something so painful in common. Who knew that I could find something that would allow me to relate to the vampire Bella so much more than the human girl she’d been?

As I stepped into the hallway, Demetri caught my arm, kissing me lightly on the cheek so not to smudge my lipstick.

“You look lovely.” He looked me up and down, admiring the black dress and heels I’d donned for the occasion.

“I’m going to a funeral, Demetri. There’s nothing lovely about it.”

“It’s a pity I can’t go with you. I would be the perfect accessory to your look.”

“Someone has to stay with the children,” I said. “Now, behave, please. There are people in pain in this house and they don’t need you acting like an ass about it.”

“Of course, my darling.”

Footsteps behind me caused us to look up.

“Will you ride with me?” Bella asked in a small voice.

“Sure.”

As she drove towards the church, I asked, “So why’d you want me to go with you?”

“Because you don’t try to make me feel better or to lessen what I did. You just say it like it is and I guess that’s what I need right now. Edward wanted to drive me, but I don’t want to be coddled. And that’s exactly what he’d do.”

“Who knew that me being a bitch would do some good?”

Bella pulled the car into a spot in front of the church and turned off the engine.

“How can I face everyone, especially the people who are here for Renee and Phil?”

“Because you know that by not doing this, the part of you that wants to kill, that craves blood becomes even stronger.”

Taking the keys out of the ignition, she climbed out of the car and I followed suit.

A brunette girl taller than me walked over to to Bella and wrapped her arms around her. I recognized the girl, but I couldn’t place her name.

Bella stiffened.

“Bella,” I hissed.

Instantly, the young vampire relaxed and rested her head against the girl’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Bella,” the girl said. “I left campus as soon as my dad told me the funeral was going to be held here. I wanted to be here sooner, but I didn’t know where you’d be, so I waited until I knew you’d be in town.”

“Thank you, Angela.” Bella stepped back. “I’d better get inside.”

“Maybe we could meet up later, if you want to talk.”

“Coffee?”

“Sounds good.” Angela let her go.

Bella walked quickly towards the church, a little too quickly, but not so fast that a human would really register it as supernatural.

“Are you her friend?” Angela asked.

“I know the Cullens,” I replied. “Why?”

“How is she doing, really?”

“She’ll be okay, I think.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

I shook my head. “Just be there for her. If she wants to sit in silence, let her. If she starts screaming, don’t judge her for cursing. You’re her friend. Don’t walk away from her now.”

“How do you know this?”

“I lost my dad last March and the people I thought I had, turned on me or refused to see how much I struggled.” I swallowed hard and headed inside the church.

Charlie and Sue were already there, standing near the front, next to the closed caskets.

“I don’t know why we have to have the funeral here,” a woman whined softly. “It’s so dreary and Renee hated it.”

“We’ll have a graveside service in Phoenix, then you’ll feel better,” the man next to her comforted her. “Oh, look at her, that must be the daughter.”

“I remember her, but I never spent much time around her. Bella was such a bore! It didn’t surprise me that she married so young. I suppose it’s the only way she thought she’d ever get a man. I’m just surprised she’s not pregnant.”

I caught the woman’s eye and stared her down. Almost immediately, she wilted, shuffling awkwardly.

Sue waved me closer and I walked up to them.

“Why are these people here?” I whispered. “There’s going to be a funeral in Phoenix. They could have just waited ‘til then.”

“I know,” Charlie sighed. “This was for Bella to grieve.”

“They’re just looking for something to gossip about,” I growled, my lip curling back as I glared at the whining woman.

“It’s about time for it to start.”

Bella and Edward were already seated in the front row, so we took the pew behind them, with the rest of the Cullens filing in behind us. The members of Renee’s family that showed up fill the row beside Edward and Bella.

Throughout the service, I kept my eye on Bella, but she remained in control of herself. It wasn’t that I didn’t think that Edward could stop her, it was that I didn’t want to be reminded of the last funeral I was at, where I was the killer. Edward glanced back at me at one point and gave me a quick, sad smile.

Finally the service was over and the coffins were loaded into hearses so they could be transported to the airport.

“Does anyone have a car I can borrow? I’d like to leave now,” I said.

“Take my car. We can run home.” Carlisle fished out his keys and handed them to me.

“Thanks.” I took them and left the building.

Climbing into the car, I took off my shoes and started it up, just to have classical music fill the car. I turned it down and chuckled. Since meeting Demetri, my taste in music changed drastically. Or maybe they didn’t change, he just opened my mind up to enjoying it when before I’d have ignored it or turned it off.

When I walked through the door at the Cullen house, I was surprised to find Demetri in the living room with Felix. Haylla sat on Felix’s knee, looking at him intently.

“Leah, you’re early,” Demetri said.

“I only promised to be there for the funeral, not for the after party.”

“Dressed up like that, I can see what you saw in her,” Felix commented. “She is a beauty.”

“Was it sad, Mama?” Haylla asked.

“I didn’t know her, so it didn’t make me sad, but it was sad for Bella.”

“Is it true that you don’t like Bella?” Haylla asked.

“Bella and I have never seen eye to eye, so that’s made things a little difficult for us to get along sometimes.”

“So why are you helping her?”

“I don’t really know. Maybe it’s because she’s Ness’s mother and they’re both important to Jake. Or maybe I just don’t like watching someone make similar mistakes to the ones I made because it reminds me of all the ways I went wrong.” I headed towards the stairs.

“Your girl is something else,” Felix commented.

“Yes, she truly is.”

In my bedroom, I stripped out of my dress and pulled on clothes that were a little more me, a halter top and shorts. Before rejoining Demetri, I washed the makeup off my face, suddenly wanting to be completely rid of the trappings of the day’s events.

It was with great relief that I dabbed my face with the towel. Normally, I liked the excuse to dress up, but today, I just wanted to be the wolf girl, and that meant no frills. Maybe it was because it reminded me a little too much of my father’s funeral: the grieving daughter in the front row was the one responsible for the tragedy.

When I came back down stairs, Felix raised his brows, looking over me appreciatively.

“Damn. Why didn’t you pick me instead of him?” The teasing twist to his mouth told me he was only trying to get under Demetri’s skin.

Rolling my eyes, I crossed the room to Demetri. He looked up at me and caught my wrist in his hand. With a grin, I leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Felix laughed. “I guess that answers that question.”

“I told you, she’s as much bound to me as I am to her.”

They’d clearly been having a conversation about our relationship prior to my arrival.

I sat down beside him and grabbed one of his hands, holding it in mine both of mine. Demetri smiled affectionately at me and rubbed his thumb against the back of my hand.

“You really are in love with her.” Felix laughed. “Mr. I Love My Freedom And Never want to Fall in Love is tied to one person for the rest of his life.”

“This is freedom, if you think about it,” Demetri said. “I’m free to be myself and I know that she won’t use my vulnerabilities against me with malicious intent.”

 

A few hours later, the front door opened and Bella walked through, followed by Edward and Angela.

“This is Angela Weber,” Bella said. “Leah said something that made me realize I did need my friends more than I thought, so I hope no one minds that she’s here.”

“Not at all.” Felix stood and bowed to her. “I am Felix. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“You too.”

“And my suddenly reticent friend is Demetri. But as you can see, his attention is focused elsewhere.” Dropping his voice, Felix whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t be surprised if there are wedding bells in their very near future.”

Angela smiled and followed Bella into the kitchen.

“Hm, she would be absolutely lovely if she was turned.”

“Not against her will, please,” I said. “And I think she has a boyfriend anyway.”

“The beautiful thing about human relationships is that they rarely last.” Felix didn’t seem at all worried.

“Just make sure it’s up to her. I’m a wolf and protecting humans is my mission in life”


	28. Chapter 28

“Did anything interesting happen last night?” He asked as I ran my hand through my damp hair.

“Not really. We just ran most of the night. I crashed for a couple of hours before dawn, but didn’t bother phasing back, just in case. Sam was freaking out because he didn’t know that Felix went back to Portland and Jake didn’t feel like telling him until this morning.”

“I’ve got something to show you.” He held out a laptop, with pictures of beautiful mountains and trees on the screen.

I took the laptop from him and sat down on the couch.

“So what do you think?” Demetri leaned over my shoulder as I examined the pictures on the screen. “Do you think it’s worth a look?”

“Three thousand acres of land, right in the middle of the Cascade Mountains, and it’s less than three hours from my mother,” I said, looking over the information. Glancing back at him I asked, “Are we going to look at it?”

“I may have already placed a bid on it.” He held up his hands when I made a move to protest. “A logging company and two real estate developers were interested as well, and I knew we would be hard pressed to find something like this any time soon, so I offered double what they were asking.”

“Did you get it?”

“Yes, I did. I wanted to tell you, but I found it this morning and you were out with your pack, so I did what I had to to make sure we got it.”

“Okay, wow. Now what?”

“We have to go down there and sign papers today and you can start thinking about where you want the house.” Demetri kissed my hair. “If you don’t like it, we can always sell.”

“If it really is as good as it looks, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

“Then get ready.”

I ran up the stairs and yanked off my clothes, excitement pulsing through my veins. I heard Demetri in the bedroom, but I didn’t bother checking because he left seconds later. I pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a loose tank top. Sliding my feet into a pair of boots, I laced them up before grabbing a jacket and heading back down stairs.

“Where are you and Papa going?” Haylla asked.

“We’re looking for a place to live and your papa thinks he found a good location.”

“Is it far?”

“It’s only a few hours away by car.”

“And we can live there forever?”

“For a long while. At least a few centuries if it all works out,” Demetri said, straightening his jacket as he entered the room.

“Wow, you’re actually wearing a shirt,” I teased, when I noticed the unusual extra layer.

“I have to appear respectable, darling.” Demetri checked his reflection in a mirror on the wall and fixed his collar.

“’Respectable’,” Edward mocked, with an almost sad look in my direction.

“Not everyone believes the way you do, Edward.” Demetri spoke through gritted teeth.

“Edward, that’s enough,” Esme said, an unusual sharpness in her voice.

I glanced at him sharply. Just what had happened while I was with my pack last night? Was this what had prompted Demetri to start looking without me?

Turning from the mirror, Demetri asked me, “Are you ready?”

“May I come, please?” Haylla asked.

“Not this time,” Demetri said. “It would not make sense for us to bring a child along and they might ask questions we don’t need.”

From the way he talked, I got the feeling that he wanted to talk about something that he didn’t want Haylla to overhear.

“Come on.” Demetri placed his hand on my lower back. “We’ll be late if we don’t leave now.”

Demetri led the way out to the garage and we climbed into Rosalie’s BMW.

“My next big purchase will be a car,” he vowed. “Four of them, at least.”

“Why so many?” I asked.

“Because it doesn’t do to have my car clash with my clothes, darling,” he replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Like today. Navy blue looks terrible against cherry red. And then you have to have your cars, so perhaps I should consider a fleet.”

I laughed and shook my head. If someone had told me this past summer that I would imprint on a guy who cared about whether his clothes matched his car, I would have told them they were crazy.

About half an hour into the drive, Demetri said, “I know you caught the exchange between Edward and me earlier.”

“I wasn’t going to ask, but now that you mention it, I am curious.”

“Edward caught a stray thought. I wasn’t paying attention to him and he was closer than I realized.”

“What did he hear?”

“You know I’ve had dalliances with men in the past.”

“And?”

“What I didn’t tell you was that one of them was Carlisle. Before you start worrying, no, I wasn’t feeling nostalgic or wishing to go back to that time. I was just thinking about how much he’d changed since I first met him.”

I thought about it for a moment, then said, “I can’t say that I’m surprised to be honest. There always was a certain intimacy between you, like you knew each other on a more personal level than just good friends, but I saw no reason to say anything because to me, it’s ancient history.”

“The trouble is, now Edward can’t wrap his head around the thought that his beloved coven leader was involved with a man.” Demetri shook his head. “He didn’t know Carlisle back then. He was so lonely, so desperate for connection that it struck a cord with me so I befriended him. After about a year or so, our friendship became something more, for a while at least. But we both held back emotionally.”

“Why? Not that I’m complaining, I just want to know.”

“I knew he wasn’t happy in Volterra and he knew I wasn’t willing to embrace his lifestyle.”

I remained silent for a moment before addressing something that had botherd me for a long time before I spoke again, “The look Edward gave me before we left, it was almost like he felt sorry for me.”

“That’s the trouble with telepaths. Their gift doesn’t allow them to experience emotions, but they believe that they know everything.” He growled under his breath. “I guess he heard my thoughts and assumed that I’m not as committed to you as you are to me.”

“Is that why you acted without talking to me about this property?”

“Yes. I care for my friend, but Edward crossed the line and I need to get some separation.” He exhaled heavily. “I never thought my past would come back to haunt me like this. I’m sorry, Leah. If I could go back, I would have made better choices.”

I reached over and caught his hand. “If Edward knew as much as he thought, he’d remember that you weren’t willing to change your diet for Carlisle, but you did for me.”

Demetri brought my hand to his lips. “I just wish I was a better man. If I was, I never would have left you that day.”

“Stop. Demetri, stop this.” I squeezed his fingers. “You can’t keep torturing yourself with things you did or things you wish you did. Yeah, it sucks that you left and maybe things would be a little less complicated if you didn’t have the history you did, but you’re a good man. You wouldn’t have been willing to change so much about yourself if you weren’t. I love you. Not because of the imprint, that just kickstarted my feelings, but for who you are.”

“I love you, Leah.” He smiled at me, the tension leaving him. “But we’re still going through with this. I’m not staying around with that child going through my thoughts and judging me for what happened before he was even born.”

“Good.” I started snickering. “Poor Edward, finding out that he doesn’t know everything there is to know about Carlisle.”

“For the longest time, I thought my relationship with Carlisle was as close as I would get to experiencing love, until you. Even after just one night, I felt so much more for you than I ever felt for him.”

“Wait, you _were_ in love with Carlisle?” I turned to look at him. “I thought once vampires fell in love, it was forever.”

“Almost in love with him, but my attachment to him was borne out of the fact that he just wanted to be with me for me, not for what I could do for him. It had been centuries since I’d experienced that with anyone outside the Guard and I knew he cared about me as a person, rather as the Volturi Tracker. That knowledge provides a rush of emotions similar to falling in love so it was easy for me to confuse the two.”

“You’re the reason why Aro wanted Carlisle to stay with the Volturi, aren’t you?”

“Most likely. It wasn’t until after our relationship deepened that he started his campaign.”

“Wow.”

“It really doesn’t bother you?”

“We all have our pasts, Demetri. I’d be a hypocrite if I flipped out about you having an ex that you felt strongly for, but it was over centuries ago and you’ve both moved on, when mine lives just down the road and at the last report, he still carries a torch for me.”

“It is in the past. While I still think of him fondly, he’s nothing more than a dear friend. He has his wife, I have you and Haylla.” He kissed my knuckles. “To be honest, I’m glad things didn’t work out with him because I would have missed out on so much. You exist as a wolf because Carlisle and his family moved here. If he’d remained with me, I never would have known you existed and that thought is unbearable.”

My heart twisted at the image he painted: both of us existing, but never meeting.

“Edward had no right to jump to conclusions.”

“Maybe this will teach him to keep his nose out of other people’s business until they want it broadcasted,” I muttered.

“Maybe, but unlikely.”

“Does Haylla know what happened?”

“She knows I’m angry with Edward, but not why.”

“Good. She’s too young to know all of this.

“What’s rather amusing is that Esme wasn’t as bothered by it as he was and you’re affected even less.”

“Maybe because we both know that we’re loved by the people involved. You and Carlisle haven’t exactly been bosom buddies in the last three centuries, not like you would have been if you still wanted something more.”

“You may be right.”

“I am right, trust me.”

After that, the conversation took a much more lighthearted turn.

 

When we arrived at the realtor’s office, she did a double take when she saw us.

“Mr.,” she paused for a moment.

“Chronis, Demetri Chronis.” He bowed his head in greeting.

She gave him a smile that made me want to slap her. How dare she look at him like that? He was mine!

“My girlfriend, Leah Clearwater.”

“Are you ready to sign?” She blinked, clearly affected by his charm.

“Of course.” He sat down and I took the other chair.

“I’ll have you know that the others were very disappointed that they didn’t get this property,” the realtor said, suddenly chatty. “It is a beautiful piece of land.”

“Then it’s a good thing we got it,” Demetri replied without looking up. “All we plan to do is build a house. The rest of the land stays as is.”

“Oh? What sort of house, if you don’t mind my asking. I have some blueprints that I know will look great in that area.”

“Something for our daughter and possibly other children in the future.”

“You-you have a child?” She deflated a little.

“Yes.”

“How old?”

“Old enough to talk and prove how much like her mother she is.” He smiled at me as he spoke and I heard the realtor’s heartbeat skip in response to the beauty of his expression. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Alright, I think that will do it.” She looked over the documents. “The land is officially yours. Let me know if I can do anything for you.”

“Shall we?” Demetri held out his arm and I took it, ignoring the realtor.

Once we were out of earshot, I asked, “‘Chronis’?”

“It basically translates to ‘many years’,” he chuckled and opened the car door for me.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to draw attention to yourself.”

He didn’t reply until he was buckled in. “She’s not likely to look it up, trust me.”

“Let’s go see this property. I didn’t come all this way just to watch some woman flirt with my imprint.”

“So you aren’t jealous about my history with Carlisle, but a woman I’ve never met before makes you angry.”

“Because Carlisle doesn’t throw himself at you right in front of me, but that woman did.”

“You never fail to surprise me and that’s something I love about you.” He guided the car down the road towards the land that would be our home for hopefully, a very long time.


	29. Chapter 29

Demetri and I sat down across from Esme at the kitchen table as she drew up plans.

“Since we’ve got no neighbors, couldn’t we have the whole back wall be a window?” I asked.

Demetri looked at me and then at Esme, “What about it?”

“I can definitely make it work. This land is so beautiful, I would want to see it as much as possible if I were you.” Esme’s pencil flew over the paper. “What about a fireplace right here?”

“I think it would be perfect. What do you think, darling?”

“Definitely.” I studied the paper, trying to picture the house Esme and Demetri were planning, with my input of course. Log and glass furnished with wood and plush fabrics sounded so perfect. Was it really going to be my home?

“I’m looking forward to getting my things out of storage.”

“Then I get to see just how flamboyant you really are.”

“Oh, my darling, you have no idea.” Demetri grinned and kissed my temple. “All those pretenders out there wish they were me, but I am second to none.”

“You two have got to be the strangest couple I’ve ever seen,” Emmett said.

He bounced Leland on his shoulders a few times and the little boy laughed.

“You’re a tough wolf girl and he’s such a dandy. Isn’t he, Leland?”

“Yep,” Leland said. “He dresses pretty.”

“Maybe that’s the draw,” I said. “We’re almost total opposites and balance each other out.”

“Just so you know, Emmett, I’ve seen couples far stranger than a tomboy and a fop, or a wolf girl and a vampire for that matter.” Demetri ran his hand down my back.

“Like what?” Emmett challenged.

“You never met the Borgias.” Demetri laughed and shook his head. “Now, I’m usually the last person to judge someone for their lifestyles, but even they were far too excessive for me, and they were in charge of the Roman Catholic Church no less. They should have been no where near the papacy.”

“What are the girls up to?” I asked Emmett in an effort to change the subject.

Leland’s dark eyes were way too curious for his own good and we needed to distract him sooner rather than later. If my memories of the Borgias were correct, they weren’t something little children, even highly intelligent ones, should be learning about.

“Ness and Haylla are making plans for Haylla’s room. They’re knee deep in home magazines and have three laptops spread out between the two of them.”

“And you got bored.”

“Yes.”

“Maybe when the others get back from hunting they can make a party of it,” I joked.

Alice and Rosalie would have a ball with helping Haylla decide on what she wanted, and Alice would drag Bella into it whether she liked it or not.

“Come on, Daddy, let’s go!” Leland tugged on Emmett’s curls, guiding him outside. “You and the uncles promised to show me how to swim!”

“Righto, little man!” Emmett darted away.

Once they were gone, we turned our focus back to Esme’s sketching.

“What if we had a solarium out here?” Demetri tapped a section just behind the house. “I’ve always wanted to collect exotic flowers, but was never able to do so in Volterra, considering so much of the compound was underground.”

“Oh, that would be lovely.” Esme’s eyes lit up as she drew. “What about a water garden feature in there as well?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ve always liked the old cathedrals,” I commented, thinking about the pictures and movies I’d seen. “Is there any way we can get something from them?”

“Oh, what about stained glass windows in the stairways?” Esme suggested. “Maybe have some of the architecture into the stairs themselves. Oh, and vaulted ceilings too!”

“I like that,” Demetri said. “What about it, darling?”

“I think it’s perfect.”

“I’ll try to see if I can work some more of the Gothic elements into other places.” Esme chuckled, adding some more notes to her paper. “This is going to be so over the top.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’ve selected the best architect in the world to design it for us.”

“Now, you’re just saying that.”

If Esme was human, I thought she might be blushing.

“No, Esme. I’ve seen your work. I trust your judgment.” He dropped the teasing and added, “I would never lie to the wife of one of my closest friends, not without a very good reason that is and your skill is worth complimenting.”

“Well, thank you.” She smiled at him, then turned her full attention to her sketching.

Pressing his lips against my hair, Demetri whispered, “Let’s leave her to it then, shall we?”

“I’ll call you if I think of something I need your input on,” Esme said, her tone distracted as she worked.

Demetri stood up and I followed him.

We ended up in the back yard and he wrapped his arms around me. I leaned my head against his chest, listening to him breathe. His lack of a heartbeat no longer bothered me. In fact, the silence in his chest calmed me now.

“It’s hard to believe that soon we’ll have a house of our own,” I said softly.

“And there will be no moving every few years.” He linked the fingers of one of his hands with one of mine. “It will be our home.”

“That sounds like heaven.”

“It will be, darling. Our own little bit of paradise.”

“What did I do to deserve such happiness?”

He exhaled softly and said, “We don’t ask for what happiness we receive. We only take it and try not to squander the gift we’ve been given.”

From inside the house, I could hear Esme on the phone, talking to someone about ordering lumber and other building supplies. Then I heard Haylla and Ness giggling and the sounds of magazines being pushed around.

“That’s really pretty,” Ness was saying. “It’s almost like something out of a fairy tale.”

“And it’s not childish, so it’ll age really well with me, unless I find something else that I like better.”

“I wonder just what she’s decided on,” Demetri commented.

“She’s already developing your tastes in clothes, so it will probably be completely over the top,” I teased. “As dramatic as possible while somehow still elegant.”

“Now, I know you’re making fun of me.” He kissed my lips.

“No. I’m not.”

One eyebrow went up.

“Okay, maybe just a little.” I brushed his hair out of his face and hooked it behind his ear.

He kissed me again and pushed me against a tree, as he slid his hand under my shirt.

“Not here, we might be seen,” I giggled, and caught his hands before they moved to high.

He pouted, but stepped back a little. “Soon, darling. We won’t have to worry about being spied on.”

“What about Haylla? How will we keep her from walking in on us?”

“Perhaps she should have her area of land and we have ours. We will have to have permission to come into each others’ sections. That way she’ll have her space and we won’t have to worry about her seeing something we don’t want her to.” He pursed his lips. “We’ll discuss it with her once we move into the house.”

“That’s a good idea,” I admitted.

 

After that, Esme set about creating our home, recruiting the other members of her coven to help us build it, and because non-humans were building the place, our house was taking shape much faster than I’d dreamed possible.

Since it was the weekend, my pack joined in with the building. Paul had come too, at Rachel’s insistence, along with Billy, who was tasked with telling stories to the children, providing entertainment while everyone else worked.

Because there was no stove, Sue and Rachel had gone to the nearest town to pick up hot food from a restaurant. When they returned, I walked over to them to help them set up the food on a table.

“Your imprint certainly has interesting taste,” Rachel commented with a glance over her shoulder.

“Yes, he does.”

“It’s kitschy, but somehow, the eccentricity of it all works.”

“I guess that’s what happens when you’ve lived for so long. You see something you like and you make it work, no matter what decade or century it’s from.” I laughed.

“Boys!” Sue called. “Time to eat!”

The boys raced over and we all filled our plates.

I sat down and setting my plate on my knees, I took a bite of fried chicken. As I chewed, Sue walked over to me, carrying a plate of her own.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Sue said as she sat down beside me and looked over the building, “but it looks almost cozy. When I heard about the plans, I couldn’t imagine you living here with as elaborate as it sounded. Now that it’s coming together though, I can see their plan and your influence too.”

“Honestly, as long as Demetri and Haylla are there, I don’t really care what it looks like,” I said once I’d swallowed.

“You’re getting everything I’d always hoped you would and so much more.”

As soon as we finished eating, Haylla ran over to us, black curls flying out behind her, and grabbed Sue’s hand. “Come see where my room is going to be! It’s got the best view!”

With a laugh, Sue allowed Haylla to lead her towards one wing of the house. We’d decided to put Haylla’s room on the opposite side of the house from ours. She’d been exposed to our sex life enough without being forced to endure it for the rest of the time she lived with us.

I grinned and picked up Sue’s plate, taking it over to the garbage bag and dumped them.

As I walked back towards the house, I couldn’t help but wonder about my daughter. Would she stay with us? I hoped she would remain nearby for a long time at least. My miracle baby, the one I’d grieved for when I believed that I was infertile, the one I thought Fate had denied me. I wanted to keep her with me as long as she allowed me to.

“You’ve got that look on your face, darling,” Demetri said, interrupting my thoughts.

I turned towards him and allowed a small smile to curl my lips.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I was just thinking about Haylla, wondering how long she’d want to stay with us.” My heart ached already at the thought of her moving away from us. My little girl, I wanted her to stay with me forever, but it wouldn’t be fair to keep her from living the life she wanted.

“But we’ll have her forever, no matter where she is. Just because she might leave our home, it doesn’t make her any less our child.” He kissed my hair. “And she’ll know that she can always come back to us, no matter what.”

“I know. I guess I just can’t stop looking at things through a human mindset.”

“You’ve only been a part of the supernatural for about a year. It takes at least a decade to let go of that.”

“And you’ve been a part of it for a thousand years. I must seem like such a child to you.”

“You’re little inexperienced, maybe, but you’re far from a child, my darling.” A quick smirk crossed his face and he looked me up and down from under his lashes, his intention clear. “And I’m not just talking about physically.”

“Ass,” I said without any real venom, thankful for his attempt to lighten the mood.

“But you love me anyway.” He kissed me quickly. “Admit it. You love the way I am.”

“Yes, I do love you,” I brushed my nose against his, “even when you’re misbehaving.”

“No, you love it when I act like that, because it’s so different from what you’re used to.”

Unwilling to admit that he was right, I dug my fingers into the back of his hair and kissed him. I slid my tongue into his mouth, drawing a groan from him and he drew me closer to his body.

“Emmett!” Esme called and we both looked towards the sound, our moment broken, “take that panel over there!”

“She’s quite the taskmaster, isn’t she?” Demetri chuckled. “Shall we get to it then?”

“The sooner we get our house built, the sooner we can move in.”

“You really are eager to leave the Cullen house, aren’t you?”

“The only reason I moved in with them in the first place was because I was pregnant and needed care to make sure we both survived. Now, while I do consider them to be my friends, I want to be in my own home instead of depending on them to house me.”

“Independent, are we?”

“I’m a liberated woman.” I tilted my head up and looked at him down my nose before laughing.

“Come on then, Miss Independent. Let’s get this done.”


	30. Chapter 30

A month later everything was in place, including all of Demetri’s things from Italy, and he wanted to throw a house warming party.

“A party?” I asked as I moved clothes around in my new closet. One thing about moving, I now knew where nothing was. “Are you serious? I’m not exactly a party person.

“Come now, darling. It’ll be fun. You can invite anyone you want to, including your ex-pack and their girlfriends. Show off your new house.”

“That’s just petty.” I found a t-shirt and tugged it over my head.

“It’s not petty. It’s showing them that you’re willing to put the past behind if they are, far behind.”

Trust Demetri to still be sore about Sam’s behavior the last time I’d seen him, though I couldn’t blame him.

“I’ll be inviting Edward and Bella, just to prove that there are no hard feelings.”

“Are you still peeved at them?” I asked.

“Not really. They’re still children. I can’t exactly fault them for making mistakes, as long as they learn.” He darted into the room and pressed a kiss against the side of my neck. “We need to present a united front for our other guests.”

“So it’s not just a house warming party, is it?”

“Not exactly,” Demetri admitted.

“It’s all just a show of power, isn’t it? Reminding the rest of the supernatural world that even though the Volturi itself is gone that the rules still apply and that there are covens willing to wage war to keep the peace?”

“Precisely.” I felt him smile against my skin. “Now get ready. We have a ball to prepare for.”

 

The weather cooperated the night of the party, much to my surprise. Instead of the modern party atmosphere I was expecting, everything was decorated to fit a more decadent, elegant era and everyone dressed accordingly. Dazzling gowns and elaborate suits, some from a time long past, but not out of place in this setting, adorned everyone there.

As our guests arrived, I couldn’t help but be amazed by how similar, yet so different they all were. I’d thought I’d gotten a good idea about the differences in vampires during our last two encounters with the Volturi, but I realized just how little I really knew about the vampires.

A pair of burly, dangerous looking men with darting, darting ruby eyes walked up to us. Their gates spoke of long years of battle and victory. They were two vampires that the Volturi should have recruited if they wanted to win.

“Möngke and Altan from Mongolia, they served directly under Genghis Khan,” Demetri said by way of introduction. “They refused to get involved in Volturi fights.”

“And you must be the wolf girl that has everyone buzzing,” Möngke said, his thick accent surprising me and I felt a slight swell of shame for how little I’d considered the histories of the people before they were turned.

“I suppose I am,” I said with a slight bow of my head.

“A fierce, proud warrior woman such as yourself should bow to no man, not even one you love,” Altan added gravely. “Treasure her, my friend. You have truly been blessed by the gods to have earned the favor of such a mate.”

“I thank whichever god that will hear me daily that she and I met.”

“If it wasn’t for certain differences, I might try to take her for myself,” a tall, lithe young man with gold eyeliner said. His golden short shorts and flowing, embroidered robe stopped me up short. I’d thought Demetri was flamboyant, but he looked positively Puritan next to this vampire.

“Keito, from Japan,” Demetri informed me.

“If you’re wondering about the wardrobe, I was a **_taikomochi_** , before women took the role and it was renamed as _geisha_.” Keito shrugged elegantly. “While I do miss it sometimes, I think the women in the profession now do a much better job of it than I ever could. Ah, that makeup they took to wearing! It would look splendid on me, don’t you think?”

“Of course.” Demetri smiled.

“Hm, more wolves. Though none as lovely as your lady.” Keito tossed his long hair over one shoulder and walked inside, greeting someone in a foreign tongue as he moved.

Sam approached us hesitantly, clearly uncertain about the people surrounding us and afraid for the girls with them.

“Welcome,” Demetri said. “Thank you for joining us.”

“There are a lot more vampires than I thought there’d be.” Sam glanced nervously around at the crowd.

“They have all been informed that the humans in attendance are not on the menu,” Demetri reassured them. “None of them would dare insult me by harming one of my guests.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I know my friends. They will run before incurring my wrath.”

“This place looks fantastic.” Emily smiled at me, looking much happier than she had the last time I’d seen her and I felt a small thrill of hope. Maybe we could repair our relationship. It would never be what it once was, but maybe we could be friends again.

“Thanks to Esme’s building expertise and Demetri’s style,” I laughed. “They somehow made it all work.”

“What’s there to eat?” Brady asked. “I’m starved.”

“There’s food in the dining room,” Demetri said. “Follow your noses and you should find it.”

The wolves moved inside and we turned our attention to the other arrivals.

 

After several hours of talking and getting to know Demetri’s associates and acquaintances, I stepped out back and leaned against a pillar, looking up at the sky. If the Cullens were too much sometimes, having a house full of vampires who gloried in their natures was even more so and I needed to catch my breath. Thankfully, they were all too polite to come right out and say that they found my scent revolting, probably because they didn’t want to upset their host, or they knew I found them equally unappealing.

“Hey.”

Sam’s voice caught my attention and I straightened, surprised that he’d sought me out.

“Great party.”

“Demetri certainly knows how to throw one,” I said.

“I um, I wanted to thank you, for the wake up call you gave me the last time we talked.” Sam hung his head for a moment. “You were right. I didn’t want to let you go. But I do now. You’re happy, happier than you ever were with me. It stung, a lot, but after a lot of soul searching, I’ve accepted it and fully embraced the imprint, both yours and mine.”

“Emily looks happy.”

“After a long talk, some very serious soul baring, she gave me my free will.”

“And?”

“And I didn’t want to leave her, not like I might have wanted to before you scolded me.” He fell silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Leah. I’m so sorry. I hurt you and I fooled myself into thinking I was in the right. But all it did was nearly cost me Emily and broke more than one relationship. Neither of you deserved what I did to you. I was a coward.”

“You and me both,” Emily said as she joined us. “We both hurt you, badly. And there’s no excuse for it. All that that talk about imprinting and soulmates blinded me to the reality of what we were doing. The only thing I can say is I’m sorry too. I let the supernatural go to my head and it was so stupid of me.”

“We all made mistakes,” I admitted. “While you wounded me first, I lashed out. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

“You were protecting yourself,” Emily said. “We hurt you and left you vulnerable, broken for the whole pack to see. What should you have done? I wouldn’t have been able to face anyone if I was in that situation and that makes you the strongest person I know. You faced them every day, shared their thoughts, and you kept your head up.”

“Like a queen refusing to accept defeat and bowing down to her opponents,” Sam mused. “Now, you’re pretty much the queen of the vampire world.”

“I’m not a queen,” I denied.

“That’s not what they’re saying inside,” Emily said. “They’re all calling you ‘Demetri’s Empress’ and I think they’ve all accepted that he’s basically the unofficial ruler of the new vampire order.”

Sam chuckled. “Who would have thought? A girl from our small tribe having so much power over the supernatural.”

“The queen of the damned,” I quipped and the other two laughed. “I’d better get back inside.”

“See you around,” Sam said.

“See ya.” I waved and turned away, listening for Demetri’s voice through the ringing hum of vampires talking.

Finally, I caught a trace of him headed towards the opposite wing of the house from where I was and I followed it. Coming into the library, I was surprised to find Demetri talking to Felix and they both seemed intently focused on whatever it was they were discussing.

“Leah, a little help?” Demetri pleaded.

“What’s wrong?” I walked up to him and placed my hand on his elbow.

“Felix is asking advice on how to woo a human and has shot down all of my suggestions.”

“Um, bite her then say hi?”

“That’s wonderful,” Felix groaned. “I want her to choose me, choose this life, not have it forced onto her because I think she’s pretty.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t fall in love like that.”

“You were human just a few years ago. What did you like from a guy?”

I thought about it for a moment before replying, “For him to listen to me and to actually care about my opinion. A box of chocolates now and again. It’s the little things that mean the most. Big, sweeping gestures are fun and all, but they don’t really count if they aren’t accompanied by real thought and emotion.”

“See?” Felix shot a sour look at Demetri. “How the hell did you manage to snag her?”

“I seduced her in the woods,” Demetri deadpanned.

“Right.” Felix sent his friend one last dirty look before asking, “And if I wanted to have a baby with her, what then?”

“Control. Above everything else, you have to find a way to remain in control or channel your strength elsewhere,” Demetri admonished. “Edward would be a better option for this discussion considering that he had a child with a human and I didn’t.”

“I’m asking you,” Felix said. “If I wanted his advice, I’d talk to him.”

“Make sure she wants to have a child like that,” I added. “Carrying one of these children isn’t an easy thing, especially for a human, and it’s got to be her choice whether or not she goes through with it. Otherwise it could create a measure of bitterness between you that you could otherwise have avoided.”

“Right. Small gifts, pay attention to her, let her decide. I think I’ve got it.”

“Big gifts are fine once in a while,” I said. “Just make sure it’s a big gift she wants and don’t jump ahead with the planning without her. She probably doesn’t know what you are and you’re already talking babies.”

“Yes, slow down a little there, Romeo,” Demetri teased.

“Says the guy who had sex with his girl within hours of seeing her for the first time.”

We left the library and rejoined the others in the ballroom, just in time for Rosalie and Edward to start playing music.

“Shall we?” Demetri bowed and held out his hand, inviting me to dance.

“You’ll have to lead. I haven’t danced in a while and never like this.”

“Don’t worry, darling. I’m an excellent partner.”

 

I ended up leaving our guests to their party at about noon, long after the other humans and wolves had crashed for the night. Demetri entered the room and I felt him tuck the sheet higher around my shoulders before kissing my temple.

“Sleep well, my darling,” he whispered against my hair. “Dream for the both of us. And when you wake up, I’ll make sure all of your good dreams come true if I can.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Fifteen years later.**

 

For the first time since leaving the Cullens, I found myself back on the rez, with my pack, sitting by the fire as the elders told the legends to the next generation of wolves and the imprints. On one side, I had Haylla, and on the other, Demetri. Some of the younger wolves, kept staring at us, unable to keep their eyes away from the full-fledged vampire in their midst.

Haylla leaned her head against my shoulder and linked our fingers. My little girl, completely grown by the time she was seven, and by all accounts was considered the most beautiful vampire in the world. With her black curls, vivid blue eyes, and olive skin, she was exotic among her father’s friends.

I looked around at the wolves and former wolves. With the firelight playing across everyone’s features, it reminded me of when I was young and innocent, before I knew that the supernatural was real. I was happy then, but not fulfilled. Even with all the pain that came with it, I was meant for this life. I was too strong, too fierce to ever give it up and be human once more.

Most of the rez pack as I knew it had stopped phasing five years ago and now the younger ones had now taken over the duties. Quil was acting as the alpha, though I knew it would only be a few years before he too gave it all up to be with his imprint.

Being around the ageless for most of the last almost two decades, the changes in my former associates was very noticeable. That was the bittersweet part about being a wolf, though I remained young and strong, in a few decades, everyone I loved here would be gone.

Demetri seemed to understand my line of thought and pressed a kiss to my hair.

Once the legends I knew were complete, Sue started speaking, “This is a new addition to our legends, the one where all of our beliefs about ourselves were challenged. This is the story of Jacob Black, imprinting on the vampire/human hybrid Renesmee Cullen and Leah Clearwater, the first woman to ever become a wolf, and her imprinting on the vampire, Demetri.”

“I told you that you’d end up in your people’s legends,” Demetri whispered.

I smiled at him and pressed my lips quickly to his before we settled down and let our story be told.

It felt strange to hear my life being told to the new generation of wolves. The way my mother told it, it seemed almost majestic, like I was some sort of hero in a myth. To be included in the story of Taha Aki? Every wolf dreamed of that and I’d achieved it, simply by existing and who I’d imprinted on.

Haylla leaned forward, listening to the story. She’d heard it before, but hearing it from another perspective seemed to have intrigued her.

I reached out and ran my fingers through her shoulder length hair. She glanced back at me and grinned, then turned her attention back to Sue.

As my mother spoke, I watched her, paying careful attention to just how much she’d aged in the last decade and a half. Though the years, and Charlie had been kind to her, she couldn’t hold off the march of time. Her hair now contained streaks of gray and there were new lines on her face. My mother was growing old. The realization sank in and I felt sick. Soon she wouldn’t be here. Then who would I turn to when I needed advice?

Demetri tightened his grip on me and for a moment, I almost swore he was a mind reader.

 

After the stories were finished, it was time for the customary meal, and just like every other time, the wolves jostled each other for the best food. I did what I could to shield Haylla from the shoving, even though I knew she could handle herself.

Behind me in the line, Haylla picked over the selections, taking only a few things. Much like Ness, she preferred blood, but ate food when required. Even with her phasing, she didn’t eat a whole lot. She simply went hunting more than the others.

“Hey, Haylla,” Sam’s fourteen year old son, Victor said.

Haylla looked up. “What?”

“How do you survive eating like that?” He shifted and he blushed darkly.

A few of the new pack members snickered and I saw money exchange hands. I raised my eyebrow at this but said nothing. He must have been dared to speak to Haylla.

“Simple. I prefer a liquid diet.”

Behind me, I heard Demetri mutter in Portugese, one of the many languages he’d taught me, “Poor boy. I think he believes he’s in love.”

“I think he’s actually feeling my vampire side and he’s being drawn in, but because I’m not entirely a vampire, he doesn’t feel the revulsion,” Haylla commented in the same language. “Trust me, the child has not imprinted on me and even if he had, I don’t think I could tolerate being with the son of the man who did so much harm to my mother.”

My daughter had certainly inherited my tongue, something she’d grown into as she matured, and she could shred anyone with just a few words.

She followed me back to where Demetri waited, sitting down next to me once more and picked up her hamburger.

A few minutes later, I caught Sam’s son staring at her once more, slack jawed. Haylla glanced at him and crossed her arms, her body language clearly informing him that she wasn’t interested in him. When he didn’t seem to get it, she bared her teeth and hissed softly.

“Leah 2.0 except with fangs,” Paul snickered.

“And I know exactly how to use them,” Haylla said, composing herself once more.

“Have you killed anyone before?” Victor asked, still unable to let go of his little crush.

“I’m Demetri’s daughter. Of course I have.” Haylla shrugged her shoulders and tossed her hair out of her face. “It’s not like we just sit at home and knit.”

We hated having her in battle, but she was stubborn and as lethal as her father, and refused to stay on the sidelines in any conflict. Besides, her innocent appearance threw people off, right before she phased that is, and they died regretting their hesitation.

Demetri’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out. I caught a glimpse of Felix’s name across the screen right before he opened the message.

_How do you deal with teenage girls who think they’re grown up?_

_She’s almost grown, my friend._

_I know that, but Angela’s freaking out and I’m caught between the two. She wants to date humans, but I think it’s a terrible idea._

_Fake a business trip to the Amazon and introduce her to Nahuel. He’s attractive enough it should turn her head, at least long enough for you and Angela to figure things out._

_Yes, because that worked so well with Leland._

_She grew up around him and she knows you like him. But your dislike of Joham is well known. If she thinks you wouldn’t approve, she might consider it._

_Good idea. Got to go. The ladies are at it again._

Demetri sighed as he put his phone away. “Such is the life of a parent to a hybrid. We see them grow, but still wish they’d remain small for just a little while longer.”

Haylla reached over and gripped his arm gently. “I’ll always need you, Papa, no matter what. Even if I have a family of my own, I’ll still need you.” She stood up, brushing off her jeans. “Now, who’s ready to get trounced?”

The teams quickly formed and they set off a little ways down the beach.

 

Long after the packs headed to Sam and Emily’s I stared at the fire, watching it turn to embers and then the light faded from them too.

“Are you alright?” Demetri asked.

“I just can’t help but wonder what face will be missing the next time we gather. We’ve already lost Old Quil. Billy’s health is failing more and more by the day. Will it be him? Or will the next loss be my mother?” I wrapped my arms around my chest, trying to stave off the chill that settled near my heart.

“Death is a reality for all beings, but none more so than the immortals. Soon, the people you love will be gone and then the other loses don’t matter so much.”

“It doesn’t make it any easier though.”

“You know what?” He tugged me to my feet. “Come with me.”

We walked in silence until we reached the edge of the cliff. With deft fingers, he removed my clothes, then his, and set them in a pile.

“What are we doing?”

“Trust me.” Taking his hand in mine, we took a running leap.

As we surfaced, Demetri caught me, pulling me close to him. Looking up at him, I brushed his hair out of his face and kissed his lips lightly. Demetri growled and suddenly, I found myself pressed against the cliff face. He dug one hand into the cliff face, securing us there, then encouraged me to hook my legs around his waist.

Were we really going to have sex right here against the cliff?

“I love you, Leah. With everything I am, with all of whatever is left of my soul. I’m yours.”

“Forever.”


End file.
